While he has not formally taken charge of his office at FC Barcelona, Deco is becoming increasingly involved in the club’s business and is becoming an influential member of the club hierarchy. A number of challenges await for him in his next role, and one of these challenges is taking shape right now.
This challenge comes in the form of Arda Guler, a young Turkish prodigy who, according to Diario AS, has caught the attention of the biggest clubs across Europe with his performances in the Turkish Super Lig. Among these clubs are the Spanish rivals, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
Deco has a job on his hands to convince the midfielder to sign for the Catalan club in these difficult times, when he also generates interest from other top clubs. The player has a release clause of €17.5 million, and the Catalan club can pay this sum for Guler despite their financial difficulties at the moment.
Deco and Barcelona have an advantage over some of the European sides interested in Guler, particularly Real Madrid. These clubs have their teams set for the upcoming season, and see Guler mainly as an investment for the future. Real Madrid for instance, want to buy the player now, and let him remain in Turkey for another year.
The player himself does not entertain such an offer though, and wants to leave Turkey this summer. Deco aims to milk this fact and will try to entice the player with promises of an immediate role in the squad.
The player is definitely an interesting talent and has drawn comparisons with Mesut Ozil, and those not only because he has inherited the number 10 jersey at Fenerbahce from Ozil. They both play in similar positions, are naturally left-footed, and play on the right side of the midfield. The player has already made his debut for the Turkish international team, and scored a goal against Wales this month.
If Deco is able to convince the midfielder to join Barcelona this summer, he can solve a number of problems for Xavi. For instance, he can play on the right as the fourth midfielder, and can also be a competent replacement for Pedri when he is tired or injured.
