Bojan: Barcelona should prioritise youth over Depay or Garcia bids

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:42 BST
• 2 min read

Barcelona should focus on developing their youth players rather than signing expensive transfer targets like Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia, according to former player Bojan Krkic. 

The Spanish giants have been strongly linked with moves for the Lyon forward and Manchester City defender in January, in a bit to sure up a team that have performed well below par for much of the season.

However, in his column for Spanish newspaper Sport, Bojan suggested that there was little need for Barcelona to bring in ready-made senior players when the club has a long history of developing perfectly good players on its own. 

The forward, who currently plays for Canadian side Montreal Impact, also didn’t see much point in bringing in Ronald Koeman’s transfer targets, since it seems as though all of the presidential candidates are set on appointing their own managers at the end of the season. 

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“Oscar Mingueza made his debut in Ukraine and showed that he is ready to compete at the highest level,” he said.

“There is nothing left but to take advantage of it. Out of conviction and out of necessity. This preview serves to understand, from my point of view, that it would be a mistake to sign [Memphis] Depay. But not only the Lyon striker, but also Eric Garcia. 

“The center-back will be free in half a year and, in the case of the forward, it is a demand from Ronald Koeman, but there is no logical reason to recommend this because not a single one of the candidates seeking the Barca presidency guarantees that the Dutchman will continue on the bench next season.”

Indeed, Koeman’s side have struggled for much of the season on the pitch just as much as the club have off it. 

The Catalan side currently sit thirteenth in the Primera Division table, with just three wins from their opening eight games. 

A large part of the club’s demise can be put down to poor dealings in the transfer window and a reluctance to replace senior members in the squad. 

Now, it seems, Bojan is calling on the club to fix both of those issues by prioritising the young players in the squad and giving them a chance to thrive.