Transfer gossip: Could Liverpool or Arsenal benefit from Barcelona’s soon to be free agent?
Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has dropped a bomb on his club by announcing that he does not plan to stay beyond the end of his current contract, due to expire in 2014. The Barcelona keeper says he is keen to experience other cultures and other types of football, opening the door to a move to the Premier League, with Arsenal and Liverpool said to be the most likely destinations. talkSPORT look at how he could fit in at either club...
Why Liverpool?
In Pepe Reina, Liverpool already have a player made in Barcelona's famous youth academy, but that same keeper wasn't considered good enough to succeed in the Barcelona first team. Valdes did make the Nou Camp grade and, after a tough learning curve, has became the ideal goalkeeper for the Catalan dream team. Brendan Rodgers is keen to encourage his goalkeeper to bring the ball out from the back and while Reina is fantastic by most 'keeper's standards in that regard, Valdes is arguably better (see our stats below). The Barcelona keeper's distribution is second to none, and is often the starting point of Barca's passing moves, whether through a short, quick pass to a deep lying player, or through an accurate lofted ball out to the full-backs and beyond. Valdes would speed up Liverpool's attack, while he would also bring confidence to their defence with his natural ability to spot danger.
Why not?
Valdes himself may not consider Liverpool the ideal destination considering he currently competes for Champions League trophies with Barcelona. The Barca keeper may be underrated on these shores, but plenty of managers think highly of him, with Vicente del Bosque seemingly now placing him above Pepe Reina in the Spain pecking order. Since Valdes made his debut with Spain in June 2010, he has played 10 games for La Roja, compared to eight by Reina, suggesting that he has superseded the Liverpool goalkeeper. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Barca man thinks he could do better than Liverpool considering the level he is currently performing at.
Why Arsenal?
Arsenal have struggled to tie down a goalkeeper capable of performing consistently at the highest level in recent years, with Wojciech Szczesny proving unreliable and injury prone. In Valdes, they would have a Champions League and league title-winning 'keeper. Behind Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez, Valdes is one of Barcelona's captains and his experience and leadership qualities could bring an air of maturity to the Gunners that they desperately need. Valdes has been decisive for Barcelona against top teams, making big saves against top strikers like Didier Drogba, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo in the past. For Arsenal, he could be the difference between points won and points dropped, making them a stronger defensive unit as well as adding to their attacking build up. Valdes himself will no doubt have noticed the fond way in which Cesc Fabregas speaks about his time with the Gunners, so it may be more realistic for him to consider London over Liverpool.
Why not?
The dust has barely settled on the Barca 'keeper's decision to leave his club, but the general consensus is that the Catalans will allow Valdes to see out his deal until 2014, using the time to blood whoever his replacement may be, whether from the youth academy or a signing. That means Arsenal would have to wait a season and a half to bring him in, and they may need a more immediate recruitment.
The facts
Still don't rate Victor Valdes? You don't have to take our word for it. talkSPORT asked Opta to crunch some numbers on the Barca man in comparison to Pepe Reina and Wojciech Szczesny since 2010/11, using league games as our basis. With 64 goals conceded compared to 103 for Reina and 82 for Szczesny, Valdes has picked the ball out of the net far less than the Premier League stoppers. How about the fabled clean sheet? Well, with a 45% clean sheet ratio in comparison to 37% for Reina and 35% for Szczesny, he also fares better in that regard. Admittedly, Valdes has a better defence playing in front of him than the other two players, so how about the areas of his game that are more about the 'keeper as an individual?
As we mentioned earlier, Valdes has proven to be an excellent shot stopper and the numbers prove that, with the Barca man making 104 saves from shots inside the box in comparison to 101 for Reina and 69 for Szczesny. With 58 saves from shots outside the box in comparison to 104 from Reina and 69 from Szczesny, he doesn't come out on top in that area, though it's worth keeping in mind that the style in La Liga relies more on short passing which could have an influence on the number of shots taken from outside of the box in the first place. Overall, Valdes has saved 72.65% of the shots he has faced over the last three years compared to Reina's 67.81% and Szczesny's 66.80%
So what about passing? With 1170 passes completed in total, Valdes trumps Reina with 1055 and Szczesny with 698. Much is made about the Barca man's ability to take part in the short passing game at the Nou Camp, but with a long ball forward likely to be required on occasion in England, how would he fare in that regard? According to the stats, he would have no problem. Valdes has completed 61.13% of his long passes over the last three seasons in comparison to Reina's 58.78% and Szczesny's 47.73%. Impressive.
Video evidence
Check out this compilation of Valdes' best moments...
Liverpool and Arsenal fans, would Victor Valdes be an upgrade on your current keepers? Let us know below...