It is fair to say that the signing of Joao Cancelo, the second time round, was met with plenty of scepticism in Barcelona. The veteran Portuguese defender returned for a second loan spell in January, with the Blaugrana having declined to exercise a €25m buy option just 18 months earlier.
To set the scene, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick had commented that he was keen for the club to bring in a defender publicly, compensating for an injury to Andreas Christensen that will keep him out for the majority of the remainder of the season. It was universally understood that Flick meant a central defender, with the tests in central defence for Gerard Martin in their embrionic phase.
When Cancelo pitched up, in a deal negotiated by agent Jorge Mendes, who has close ties to President Joan Laporta, many looked at it as a favour rather than a planned signing. The 31-year-old had been left out of Al-Hilal’s squad in September after an injury, and had not played in four months. There was no doubt that it would not have been out of place in Australian online pokies, it was a gamble.
An early Copa del Rey appearance, in which Cancelo looked sloppy, only served as confirmation bias. In February, Cancelo began to get more game time though. Now looking sharper, providing an assist against Levante. In his subsequent six appearances, with competition Alejandro Balde out of action, Cancelo contributed directly to four goals. Although at times his defensive efforts, his great weakness in his first spell, left something to be desired, there could be little doubt that he was providing more than Balde going forward.
Last week, he came up with a crucial assist for Robert Lewandowski’s winner against Atletico Madrid, a major step towards securing La Liga. With Balde now fit, there is no guarantee he will be restored to a starting role. Cancelo is reportedly keen to make his loan move permanent, and Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is also in favour of keeping him this summer. The negotiation with Al-Hilal, who want €15m for the last year of his deal, could be difficult, as Barcelona want him on a free due to his high wages.
There can be little doubt that Cancelo has performed when called upon, and his nous in the final third has provided Flick with a new weapon. If Barcelona are keen to sign a starter to compete long-term for the position, Cancelo is an imperfect solution, but the Portugal international has shown himself to be more than useful as part of the squad at the very least.
