Luis Diaz or Marcus Rashford? It’s the big question being asked at Barcelona as the summer transfer window races to open, with debate raging at boardroom level which player should be the priority.
Barca have pinpointed the left wing as an area where Hansi Flick’s squad can be improved this summer, with Liverpool’s Luis Diaz and Manchester United’s Rashford emerging as the two candidates.
While Sport reports that Rashford is the “most realistic” option, Mundo Deportivo claims that Deco has taken a decisive decision over the pair.
Why Deco is right
Luis Diaz was the second-best winger in the Premier League this season, according to data analytics firm SciSports. Rashford was also credited with having a strong campaign due to his time with Aston Villa, but the Colombia international was well out in front of him.
The statistics show that the South American dwarfs Rashford in virtually every conceivable metric. He is notably superior to the Man Utd player with regards his dribbling, which is an attribute that Deco wants to see more of down the left at Barcelona next season. This would offer some balance to Lamine Yamal on the opposite flank.
In terms of fitting into Barcelona’s style, too, Luis Diaz is the better choice.
SciSports give the 28-year-old a Club Fit score of 67. This is based around a variety of factors, including playing time, potential development, style, formation and more.
Luis Diaz’s weakness here comes in the form of Barcelona’s playing style, but Deco is seeking to tweak this, better fitting into the Liverpool star’s makeup.
Rashford earns a score of 62 for his Barca fit. In particular, he rates poorly for both style and formation, and with the Catalans rather rigid in these ideas, that does not bode well for him making an impact. Ironically, the best choice for the Man Utd player is Aston Villa – the side he has just departed after a successful loan spell.
Of course, the big drawback with Luis Diaz is that he is substantially more expensive than Rashford – perhaps costing twice as much as the Man Utd star, who Barcelona refuse to pay €40 million for at the moment.
The Catalans’ difficult financial position means that they can prefer the Colombian all they want, but Deco may ultimately be forced to settle for the Englishman – or perhaps even neither.
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