Barcelona want to sign a central midfielder and a striker in the January transfer window

Despite the huge effort that Barcelona put into the summer transfer window to bring in all the necessary reinforcements, and under very difficult financial constraints, it is still clear that the team have certain holes that need to be filled sooner rather than later.

There are, specifically, a couple of positions in the squad that do not have replacements: a defensive pivot and a striker.

Who can replace Oriol Romeu in midfield?

As for the midfield, Barça’s plan was disrupted once Sergio Busquets left the club to go to Inter Miami. Xavi was convinced that the player was staying in Spain for another year but his departure came as something of a shock to the sporting plans. Also, the targets for the hole left by ‘Busi’ were not easy ones: Zubimendi and Kimmich were long shots, leaving Oriol Romeu as the low cost option that Xavi, after months of meditation, eventually decided upon.

As well as this, Eric García’s last-minute move away from Barcelona meant that the number two option for the pivot role was suddenly gone and that left Frenkie De Jong - the MVP against Osasuna - as the only option for the role of substitute when needed. Every time Romeu has left the pitch is has been Frenkie who has left his position to drop back down and fill in. The Dutch midfielder may be, as the name suggests, a midfielder, but he is not a full-time pivot and constantly playing him there could lead to problems in the long run.

Those at the club believe that Pau Prim, a highly promising player from the youth team, could well turn out to be the next Sergio Busquets. However, this case study must be handled with the utmost care, knowing that such a crucial position in Xavi’s side cannot simply be replaced without careful consideration. For now, Pau Prim is not a viable option for the first team.

Will Barcelona buy a new striker?

The lack of competition and partners for Robert Lewandowski up front at Barcelona is not seen as such a serious concern compared with that of the midfield, especially when one considers that his substitute has already been signed: Vitor Roque.

If everything goes to plan, the forward will arrive in the winter and will help the club in the second half of the season. Until then, the Pole will be the number 9 on the team sheet every week, with Ángel Alarcón, the youth team striker, his only possible substitute as a pure poacher.

Which players cover which positions in Xavi’s squad?

With a total of 19 players, Xavi’s first-team squad list is very small; the youth squads pad it out to reach 22 players, such is the reason that Lamine Yamal has had so much success so far this campaign.

The defensive area is where Barcelona are struggling the least: Ter Stegen and Iñaki Peña have the goal covered and sit behind Cancelo and Sergi Roberto at right-back, Araújo, Koundé, Christensen and Íñigo Martínez are all ready to play at centre-back, as well as Balde and Marcos Alonso on the left.

Apart from the pivot, the rest of the midfield positions are covered with Pedri, Gavi, Gündogan and Frenkie. And then there is the youngster Fermín, who can play in various positions across the middle line.

In attack, Barça can count on Ferran and João Félix on the left, Raphinha and Lamine on the right, meaning that only Lewandowski is on his own when it comes to finding a replacement. But that will, as mentioned, soon be on the way.