Deco sheds light on Barcelona’s late attempt to secure 28-year-old Bundesliga talent in the summer | OneFootball

FC Barcelona had a quiet summer transfer window. Yes, they brought in Dani Olmo, who was a marquee signing for the club but apart from him and Pau Victor, they did not bring in anyone else at that time.

This was however not for a want of trying. For example, Barcelona submitted a €20m bid to sign Bayer Leverkusen center-back Jonathan Tah. It was in the final days of the transfer window but a transfer for the German did not eventually happen.

Tah stayed at Bayer Leverkusen but his contract is set to expire in 2025, he is set to be available as a free agent next summer. Thus, Barcelona continued to be linked with a transfer for the 28-year-old, especially considering he has played under Hansi Flick before.

In an interview, Tah was quizzed about the club’s late pursuit of Tah back in the summer and if they plan on returning for him, and here is what the sporting director had to say, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo. He said:

“Dynamics within a squad change. Sometimes you think one way due to immediate needs, but as the season progresses, things happen because a year in football, though it seems short, is significant. We’re not planning any signings right now. We have Araujo returning, as well as Christensen, Eric, Cubarsí, and Iñigo. When the time comes, we’ll plan for the future, but we’re not making any decisions now.”

“At the time, we pursued him because Bernal’s injury meant Eric, a center-back, had to step up as we had few options. Casadó was more of an ‘8’ than a ‘6’, Gavi hadn’t returned from injury, and all this influenced a decision at the moment. But if you can’t make momentary decisions, it doesn’t mean you have to make them next year. Dynamics change, and today, we are happy with what we have.”

Although Deco has explained the thinking behind making an attempt to sign Tah back in the summer quite clearly, he has remained coy on whether the Catalan club make an effort to sign him again in the upcoming transfer window or the summer.

Tah is an excellent center-back who adds something very different to the current options in the Barcelona squad. He is adept at playing with the ball at his feet but excels in aerial duels and can be a useful threat in both boxes.

It makes a lot of sense to sign Tah, especially if it is on a free transfer next summer. Even otherwise, Barcelona can always make a sacrifice like Eric Garcia in the market and use that space to bring in the 28-year-old German who will add a lot of quality to the current roster.

It remains to be seen if Barcelona return to sign Jonathan Tah. Hansi Flick might push to secure his signature and let’s wait and see how it plays out going forward.