Failed transfers: Iniesta’s number, Xavi’s move, that’s how Arthur, who didn’t make it at Barcelona, was perceived

It’s been less than two years since the FC Barcelona – Juventus Turin swap involving midfielders Arthur Melo and Miralem Pjanic. But neither transfer can be judged as a success after two seasons. However, we will focus on the arrival of the first-named Brazilian midfielder in the Italian capital.

The Brazilian arrived at Camp Nou in the summer of 2018, transferring from Gremio, where he was groomed for big-time football. At the time, the Catalan colossus sent €40 million to Porto Alegre for the 21-year-old midfielder.

A rather high amount for a footballer who has no experience of football on the old continent. But it looked like Barcelona’s directive knew exactly what it was doing when it didn’t hesitate to slap the pocket for a fairly unknown player.

Iniesta’s number, Xavi’s move

Moreover, Arthur had a style of play and movement around the pitch strikingly similar to the legendary Xavi Hernandez, which understandably threw him some sympathy points as well.

The then Blaugranas coach took a liking to him and soon after his arrival in the FCB cabinet he became one of the busiest players in the midfield line, which at the time mostly took the form of Busquets, Rakitic and just Arthur.

For example, in Champions League matches, the Gremia alumnus had a passing success rate of over 90% across all the matches he played in his first season at Barcelona.

But firstly he was unlucky with injuries and above all with the coach who replaced Ernesto Valverde at the helm. As much as the coach who came from Bilbao trusted him, Quique Setién didn’t trust him. Not that he lasted too long with the team, but even his short tenure was enough for the club’s management to start considering Arthur’s departure.

Strange swap deal

This one also came in one of the strangest transfers in the player swap category. From a sporting point of view, few understood why the Camp Nou club voluntarily got rid of a then twenty-three-year-old midfielder with a future and instead arranged for a thirty-year-old midfielder with a career more on the decline.

The astonishment on the faces of perhaps every one of Barcelona’s supporters turned out to be justified when Miralem Pjanic played one not-so-glamorous season in FCB colours and went on loan to Bestiktas Istanbul for another.

First season in Italy

The Brazilian footballer didn’t make a dent in his first season under Andrea Pirlo, but returning manager Massimiliano Allegri liked him a lot more judging by his minutes.

However, injuries and subsequent necessary surgery have time and time again spoiled Arthur’s potential blossoming on hot Turin soil. Another factor in his failure so far in north-west Italy has been the rising form of Rodrigo Bentancur and later Manuel Localleti, who have collectively left the Brazilian behind in the midfield hierarchy.

This gave rise to speculation and then persuasion, particularly from Arsenal London, who did all they could in the last winter transfer window to lure the Goiânia native into their ranks. The transfer eventually fell through and Arthur remained in the black and white shirt.

Arthur’s possible departure

In Italy, the skilful right-back is mainly blamed for his defensive lapses, especially defending space, while in terms of pressing he had the best numbers among Juventus midfielders in the current campaign.

But what he was supposed to bring to the games was offensive creativity and complete orchestration of the whole team’s play. However, he fell short of that in his two years at the Allianz Stadium and it is very likely that he will be moving to another football address in the summer.

Sources: Transfermakrt, SofaScore