Can Barcelona Afford To Take A Risk On Injury-Prone Serie A Winger After Recent Missteps?

In all fairness, Barcelona have had a turbulent transfer window so far. Despite their financial issues being well-documented, they set out with specific targets in mind in their bid to strengthen the squad under the stewardship of new head coach Hansi Flick.

Unsurprisingly, however, Barcelona have done anything but that. The team was in desperate need of a defensive midfielder and a left winger. With only a few days left ahead of the end of the transfer window, the squad still has gaping holes that need filling.

With the pivot somewhat compensated for by Barcelona’s saving grace, La Masia, thanks to the emergence of the two Marcs – Casado and Bernal, it still leaves the slot on the left wing waiting to be accounted for.

Joan Laporta and Deco chased the signing of one Nico Williams all summer only for the young talent to decide to stay at Athletic Club for one more season.

They bought in Dani Olmo as an alternative but there is almost a consensus that the Spaniard isn’t really the right tactical fit on the far left.

That brings us to the latest to be linked to Barcelona in the last few days. It is highly reported in the media that Barcelona are eyeing the signing of Federico Chiesa from Juventus who is available for as little as €14 million.

However, is this another desperate attempt by the board to sign a forgotten big name to please the fans, or is it for once a smart piece of business by Deco to ably fill an important position in the team?

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What and Who does Barcelona Need?

After the arrival of Hansi Flick, it is understood that the four-man midfield formation under Xavi will no longer be the go-to setup for the latter.

Flick needs difference-makers in his team, especially out wide. Barcelona are blessed with technical proficiency in the middle of the park, however it is on the wings the team lacks proficient modern wingers – Lamine Yamal being the exception.

For the German tactician’s system to work, the team needs pace-driven, 1v1 proficient wingers capable of moving into space and taking on their man to generate real-scoring opportunities.

Profiles like that of Nico Williams and Rafael Leao are ideal options to reinforce the team that would more than simply meet the requirements but remain a far-fetched dream due to financial difficulties.

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However, the question is, does Chiesa check these boxes?

Tactical Profile

Federico Chiesa doesn’t fall under the traditional category of wingers. Certain aspects of his game set him apart from the rest of the names in the list and it is what made him so lethal during Italy’s incredible European Championship triumph in 2020.

These aspects can be broadly categorized as – positional awareness, goal-scoring and technical skills.

Talking about Chiesa’s positional awareness, it must be said the Italian is an incredibly smart player. Rather than hugging the touchline as a traditional Barcelona winger of old, he moves into any space made available to him on the left-half of the pitch, picks up the ball and drives forward towards goal.

While being primarily used as a winger for his club, Roberto Mancini’s Italian national team of the past setup gave him the freedom to move across the frontline with devastating effect, improving his game in central areas as a consequence.

It doesn’t change his traits, however. If there is space in behind the defence, he will exploit it with immediate effect with his darting runs – as mentioned above, a pre-requisite for the new style of play at Barcelona.

This ties perfectly well with his efficient technical ability. Chiesa is known for his agility in tight spaces at lightning-quick speeds, able to beat his marker or even fashion chances on his own with mazy dribbling and sheer determination.

His smart movement and positioning coupled with impressive close-control especially while driving towards the defence with pace means he regularly finds himself in great goal-scoring positions.

Fortunately for him, Chiesa is an extremely composed finisher, converting his chances with incredible consistency.

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All in all, Chiesa fits the bill of the left winger Barcelona are on the lookout for. He falls in the 97th percentile of all forwards in Europe for ‘Progressive Carries’ and a high 99th percentile for ‘Shot-Creating Actions’ – signalling the constant threat he offers in attack with considerable variations.

Add into the mix his impressive work rate and Barcelona have a genuine player on their hands.

Things to Consider

Chiesa seems to fit like a glove with respect to Barcelona’s needs from their winger. However, some glaring issues persist with the Italian which must be considered before the deal is finalized.

One of those is his awful injury record. Ever since he injured his ACL back in the 2021/22 season whilst playing for Juventus, Chiesa has almost never been fully fit for a sustained period of time.

To put things into perspective, Chiesa has suffered 12 different injuries in the last two seasons and has gone on to miss 27 matches as a result.

Another issue that comes as a direct consequence of his injury crisis, is his lack of consistency and form.

Having missed a ton of games for club and country, Chiesa hasn’t been able to muster a run of good form or find his rhythm which translates into doubts about his availability as well as assurance about his end product, having scored none in his four games at the Euros and just 11 G/A in the entire last season.

With Barcelona not really blessed with money in their coffers, they need to be cautious whilst heading into a deal that offers so less statistically at least.

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A Look At The Management

If Chiesa’s injury history and subsequent inconsistency don’t fill one with confidence, it is doubtful the board, club president Laporta and Deco’s management of the team and club, especially in transfers would do the job either.

Having signed Dani Olmo for an overbooked midfield slot, hoping he will fit in on the left wing and even sold Ilkay Gundogan, Barcelona’s MVP from last season for absolutely nothing (whether or not it was the right call is a discussion for later), there is understandably bound to be some doubt regarding this deal.

Having talked about returning to financial normalcy soon and the 1:1 rule, the club seems nowhere near the promises made, being forced to do away with key players in a yard sale instead.

Even when the space opened up after some sales, the sporting department has been guilty of losing sight of their priorities, making it even more volatile to trust them to get the right man for the job.

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The Verdict

All in all, for €14 million, Federico Chiesa seems to be a risk worth taking. Still only 26, the Italian has a lot to offer to the club and even grow himself as a player. As far as wingers go, he is as accomplished and polished as they come.

Considerable doubts remain about his fitness and annoying inconsistency, and whether the club can really afford to cough up some of the precious money.

But looking at Flick’s approach to this team, in both training and games, assures to some extent that the winger’s shortcomings are nothing that cannot be fixed with some regular game time after undergoing a specific physical regime.

Flick seemed to be something similar for Ansu Fati before his latest injury setback.

For a reasonable cost, to have the option of bringing in a well-suited, skilled winger, Federico Chiesa seems too good of a market opportunity to pass on.

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