The past 12 months have been testing for Arda Turan to say the least. After securing his move from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona last summer, the Turkey captain was unable to play for six months given the club’s transfer ban and refused to leave the club on a short-term loan in order to keep his match fitness up. While he, along with fellow summer recruit Aleix Vidal, were allowed to play in behind closed-doors friendlies, it pales in comparison to regular competitive action.
As such, it was effectively six months of Arda’s career wasted. He eventually made his league debut for Barcelona in the 4-0 trouncing of Granada at the beginning of January, earning a notable WhoScored rating of 8.03. Only once more last season did he better than return in La Liga (8.11 vs Getafe in March). With Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta understandably Luis Enrique’s preferred midfield three, and the famous attacking trio of Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi leading the charge, Arda was largely forced into a peripheral role for the club.
Of the 18 appearances he made for the La Liga champions least season, nine were from the off, while he has played the full 90 minutes just three times in the league for Barcelona. His WhoScored rating in La Liga (6.73), meanwhile, was the lowest of outfielders to make five or more starts for Barcelona last season. Furthermore, the arrival of Andre Gomes, the return of Denis Suarez and promotion of Sergi Samper threatened to limit Arda’s playing time more so, yet the player’s agent said back in May that there was “zero chance” of the former Atletico man leaving during the transfer window. The stance was reinforced last month with the vultures circling.
His form for Turkey at Euro 2016 also left a lot to be desired, with Arda gaining a WhoScored rating of just 6.57 at the competition, resulting in a barrage of criticism thrust in the versatile attacker’s direction. Indeed, Enrique would not have been begrudged in cashing in on Arda this summer. However, with Neymar representing Brazil at the Olympic Games, and Enrique still not fully convinced by Munir, as the club’s hunt for a striker suggests, Arda has been handed a stay of execution.
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He started the 2-0 Spanish Super Cup first leg win over Sevilla at the weekend and while he provided the assist for Luis Suarez’s opening goal, Arda underwhelmed. A WhoScored rating of just 6.95 was made possible given he played just one key pass, was dispossessed twice and had two unsuccessful touches during his 75 minutes on the pitch. While he worked hard off the ball, he is still not on the same wavelength as his attacking teammates and this again showed.
However, with a full pre-season now under his belt on account of Turkey’s early European Championship exit, there is time to save his Barcelona career. Neymar will undoubtedly require a lengthy rest, while Andres Iniesta’s knee injury sustained in the first leg win over Sevilla at the weekend means Enrique needs options in the midfield and attacking third.
Yet even if Arda was to depart, Enrique has sufficient options in both midfield and attack to cover for his departure, as capture of Gomes and reacquisition of Suarez suggests. Arsenal and Chelsea have each been credited with an interest in the experienced Turkish star and it’s still wholly possible that he could depart Camp Nou before the transfer window slams shut.
However, a strong showing in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup in Barcelona on Wednesday night would go a long way to further convincing Enrique that Barcelona should retain Arda’s services indefinitely. Indeed, a match-winning performance against Sevilla could well prove to be a watershed moment for the out-of-sorts Barca man.
Should Barcelona cash in on Arda Turan this month? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
He had a decent preseason so far mostly playing on the left wing. When he switches up positions with Luis Suárez has especially proven to be a killer combo for Barça, most of the best goal scoring chances in the last couple of matches came from that play. I hope he stays and proves to be a valuable asset, his beard is too awesome to be lost from the roster.