Deco Rejects Hypothetical Mbappé Deal: Barça Faces Dilemma Between Attack and Defense

The name Mbappé has once again emerged, this time in a Barça context. In an interview with TV3’s ‘Onze’ program, Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco, found himself fielding challenging questions about the team’s transfer market.

One question that gained significant attention was the hypothetical scenario presented to Deco: Would he sign Mbappé in exchange for selling Araujo and De Jong? The sporting director’s response was unequivocal: “It would be a mistake to sell Araujo and De Jong to bring in Mbappé,” he asserted.

Despite Deco’s firm stance, delving into this type of scenario inevitably invites a bit of football fiction. From a purely sporting perspective, Mbappé’s arrival could be a positive explosion for Barcelona’s attack. Since Neymar’s departure to PSG in the summer of 2017, the club has been eager to find a dynamic player who can operate effectively from the left, a void unfulfilled by Coutinho, Dembélé, and, so far, Joao Félix.

The Frenchman, though granted absolute freedom of movement at PSG and with the French national team, showcases his best form when operating from the wing alongside a central striker, a role he had (or rather, still has) with Giroud in the national team and could have at Barcelona with Lewandowski. His impressive stats this year speak for themselves: in 29 matches across four competitions, Mbappé has scored 30 goals (20 in Ligue 1, three in the Champions League, six in the French Cup, and one in the Super Cup).

His signing would provide the goal-scoring prowess that Barcelona desperately needs, especially after another season where goals haven’t been abundant. In 31 matches across four competitions, Barcelona has scored 70 goals, but only Leandowski (14) and Ferran (11) have surpassed the 10-goal mark.

Furthermore, Mbappé’s presence as an absolute star would be a gravitational force for defenses, potentially freeing up space for Lewandowski and a player like Lamine Yamal, who could exploit defensive shifts to contain the Frenchman.

However, in this hypothetical scenario, his arrival would impact the defensive line and midfield with the potential sales of Araujo and De Jong.

Losing Araujo would mean parting with their best defensive enforcer, a physical powerhouse capable of handling the best strikers in Europe. While the ball-playing aspect wouldn’t be affected, the departure of Araujo would diminish the defensive explosiveness against powerful forwards and leave the team without its third captain and one of the most vocal leaders on the field.

In the midfield, without De Jong, Barcelona would face the same issue they currently grapple with when trying to play a classic 4-3-3: a lack of a holding midfielder. Although De Jong remains one of the team’s best midfielders, the reality is that he hasn’t excelled as a positional pivot without Busquets. While the team would still have Pedri, Gündogan, Gavi (once recovered from injury), and Fermín in the interior positions, not to mention potential talent from the youth academy, De Jong’s absence would impact the team’s ability to break lines with dribbles and provide stability in midfield with systems closer to a double pivot. However, if Gavi returns in good physical shape, he might fulfill that role.