Barcelona have completed the signing of 20-year-old striker Francisco Trincao from SC Braga. The deal, which will take effect on July 1st, is for €31 million and the former Portuguese youth international will have a €500 million release clause.
Barcelona Agree Deal for Francisco Trincao
So the obvious first question is; who is Francisco Trincao? Trincao was one of the staring members of the Under-19 Portugues national team which won the Euro in summer 2018. Trincao was the joint-top scorer with five goals including the winning goal in the final against Italy. He also played an important part in Braga’s League Cup win over FC Porto earlier this week.
Those numbers might make him seem like an excellent striker. But according to Opta positional data, he is actually a right-winger, though it’s not the only position he can play. He likes to cut inside on his left but isn’t a one-trick-pony. Trincao can use both feet quite well to create from all over the field.
As with every Portuguese youngster, he has heard the comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo. Obviously those comparisons are going to miss the mark, but Trincao does show some serious promise. Whether or not it is enough promise to prompt a €31 million move to Barcelona is yet to be seen.
The concern for Barcelona fans will be largely based on the board signing him, rather than the signing. Barcelona’s transfer policy over the last two years has been incredibly hit or miss. Sometimes they buy players like Arthur Melo or Samuel Umtiti for cheap. And other times they spend €145 million on Philippe Coutinho.
But the real questions come with Barcelona’s squad construction. The addition of Trincao will mean Barcelona will enter next season with eight[8] forwards in their squad. The likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann, Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele, Ansu Fati, Alex Collado and Trincao are all going to need playing time. Let’s see how Barcelona can navigate this mess.
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