Barcelona's Search for Talent

It is no secret that F.C. Barcelona are on the lookout for a talented defensive midfielder. They need to find a player who can fill in for Yaya Touré when the African Cup of Nations sees the Ivorian leave the squad to go play for his country. Sergio Busquets can play in this role, but he cannot play every game and so Pep Guardiola is looking for someone who can fill in that spot in the lineup.

There have been various reports that Barcelona were trying to obtain the services of Liverpool’s midfielder Javier Mascherano. This move seems improbable, since Liverpool sold their other defensive midfielder – Xabi Alonso – to Real Madrid.

Luckily, Barcelona do not need to look too far away. On the other side of the Iberian Peninsula lies Portugal and in the capital city of Lisbon lies the player they need. His name is Miguel Veloso. He is 23 years old, measures 5ft 11in in stature and possesses a thunderous left foot. Barcelona is well aware of Veloso’s abilities, and especially his left foot as he scored a wonderful free kick against the Catalan club during last year’s Champions League.

Veloso is a technically gifted player, he is young, yet experienced enough to play in an important team like Barcelona. He would have no problems adjusting to the philosophies of Guardiola. He can give Barcelona another threat in attack, while helping out on defense. He can take corners, free kicks and penalties without any problems. While Barça have possession, he can hover around the penalty box, waiting for a pass that will let him unleash a powerful shot on goal; something that Busquets does not do often. In short, he can be a perfect fit for the club, giving them assurance in the back while bolstering their attack.

Veloso is said to be worth about $25 million, not cheap, but not an astronomical price tag for a player who is well worth it. If Barça were to sign him, he would be unable to play in the Champions League for them, since he has already played in this competition with his club Sporting Clube de Portugal. But this shouldn’t be too big of a problem, since Guardiola could use Veloso for league games and Busquets (who played in last year’s final) for Champions League games.

Let’s hope the Barcelona front office start making phone calls soon and get this great player before someone else does.

Here is a showcase of Veloso's skills and goals.

Here is Veloso's goal against Barcelona in last year's Champions League.