The return of Denis Suarez to Barcelona is great news for the club as the centre of midfield receives a boost in personnel. But the ex-Villarreal man adds another obstacle to Arda Turan's struggles as the Turkey international falls further down the pecking order.
Suarez's drawn-out move back to Camp Nou was finally completed on Monday, with Barca exercising their buyout clause of €3.25 million to re-sign the midfielder. Luis Enrique thus gains another body for the engine room, which had looked dangerously stretched at times during 2015-16.
Sergi Roberto's emergency remodelling as a full-back, injury problems for Rafinha and the delayed integration of Arda into the first-team due to FIFA prohibitions meant the likes of Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic were used week-in, week-out. To make things worse, neither the ex-Atletico Madrid man nor Aleix Vidal settled well after making their debuts in January.
Barca confirm Denis Suarez return
A hefty €41m transfer fee acts as a millstone around his neck, as his first season did little to justify the outlay. He is yet to find his place in the squad and there are rumours that Barcelona could let him go if the right offer materialises. The 29-year-old is far from indispensable, especially when you consider the young talent knocking on Luis Enrique's door.
And the Barca head coach now has a choice to make. Should he keep faith in his underachieving signing, hoping for a resurgence with the benefit of a full pre-season behind him? Or will he cut his losses and boost the Barcelona coffers by selling him? For the time being, Arda's future looks extremely uncertain - and the arrival of Denis could well be the final straw. - Goal