Barcelona’s January acquisition of Brazilian striker Vitor Roque has been a disaster so far, and the club are now deciding what the future holds for him.
Roque arrived as one of the biggest talents in Brazilian football, and Barcelona went through some effort and expense to bring him in earlier than expected midway through the season.
This decision was a questionable one, as he has played for just 310 minutes across 13 matches, scoring two goals, and manager Xavi Hernandez has not considered starting him despite the inconsistent form of Robert Lewandowski around the time of the teenager’s arrival.
It was recently reported that Barcelona were planning to loan Roque out next season, but there is still uncertainty over his long-term future, and the club now appear to have doubts about whether he can succeed at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona have doubts over Vitor Roque ability
Spanish outlet AS have now reported that Barcelona believe the 19-year-old made the step up from Brazilian football to Europe too soon.
They are reportedly concerned that Roque struggles with basic aspects of his play, which has come as a surprise, and there are major question marks over whether he is, or will be, at the right level to succeed at Barcelona.
Some within the club believe a transfer will be the best solution, but it is still unclear whether this would be a loan to see if he can improve, or if Barcelona want to make some of their money back on him.
Vitor Roque transfer highlights poor Barcelona planning
Barcelona are struggling financially, and need to be wise with their spending. To recruit such an unproven player, at great expense midway through the season was a risky move in the first place.
That the club only see Roque’s question marks now, perhaps indicates that they did not do their due diligence on him when scouting the player at Athletico Paranaense.
Xavi was keen on signing a defensive midfielder to replace Sergio Busquets, but was instead handed Roque earlier than anyone expected, and it is of little surprise that the manager has been reluctant to use him in high-pressure matches.
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