Which players have the passing ability to fill in for the great conductor?
Barcelona legend Xavi has been strongly linked with a move away from his boyhood side, with Sport suggesting that he will go on June 30 when his contract expires.
But who should his club be looking at to replace him? Anyone they bring in will have to match the midfielder’s legendary passing. His stats this season? 52 passes per game, at a 93.7% success rate.
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10) Blaise Matuidi – PSG – 41.1 passes per game – 92.3% pass success percentage
The French midfielder has improved with every passing year, and would bring a box-to-box style to Barca that they currently lack.
9) Dani Parejo – Valencia – 59 ppg – 86.3%
Parejo is relentlessly consistent, and will be on Barca’s watchlist after several good seasons in La Liga.
8) Panagiotis Tachtsidis – Verona – 60 ppg – 75.2%
Tachtsidis is a more of a destroyer than a creator, but his presence would free up Sergio Busquets to move forward, or Javier Mascherano to drop into defence.
7) Lucas Biglia – Lazio – 71.3 ppg – 86.5%
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6) Juan Mata – Man Utd – 38.3 ppg – 91.9%
The Spaniard has traditionally been played as a number 10, but it would be fascinating to see if he could work in Xavi’s role in the Barca midfield.
5) Mateo Kovacic – Inter – 63 ppg – 85.7%
Has great technical ability and physical attributes. Barca would do well to pick him up this summer, before he makes a move to the Premier League.
4) Lars Bender – Bayer Leverkusen – 36.1 ppg – 69.9%
One of the two targets Sport definitively linked Barcelona to. Strong defensive abilities but his passing stats are far below what will be expected. Arsenal are also reportedly interested.
3) Koke – Atletico Madrid – 57 ppg – 80.4%
The other reported target for Barcelona, Koke showed his outstanding ability at both ends of the pitch in Atletico amazing 2013/14 season. Probably the most likely of the transfers on this list, although they will have to beat off interest from Chelsea.
2) Claudio Marchisio – Juventus – 72 ppg, 83.5%
Marchisio has long been known as a classy operator, but has always been happy to stay in Turin. Now at the peak of his career, the opportunity to replace a legend at a club like Barcelona could appeal to him.
1) Marco Verratti – PSG – 93 ppg – 92.3%
PSG are so dominant in most of their league games that Verratti’s stats are given an artificial boost, but there is nobody in Europe more similar to Xavi than the Italian. While he might not have the touch of genius that the Barca legend has when it comes to positioning, he is a feisty character and would add some fight to the Barcelona midfield.