Barcelona have already completed their first signing of 2024 as Vitor Roque arrived in the Catalan capital today for his first day at the Olympic Saint Montjuic and the club offices.
He will be registered before Barcelona take on Las Palmas on 3rd of January 2024, which is also when he is expected to make his debut for the club. And if reports are correct, his jersey number has also been decided: #19.
It is important to note that Barcelona dished out around €40 million for his services, and will hope that their investment pays off, especially given the extent of their existing financial crisis.
And well, there are two reasons, according to AS anyway, as to why Barcelona decided to spend that much money on Roque.
Preventive measures
It is well-known that Roque is a Barcelona fan. He has talked about his desire to sign for a while, and also echoed his words today, saying that he was dreaming of this day since he was a child.
That is not enough reason to spend €40 million on someone, though. What is a good enough reason, though, is that Roque is a very highly-coveted, highly-rated centre-forward. His ceiling is through the roof, and is expected to be the next big thing from Brazil.
As such, there were several big teams interested in signing him, including the likes of Chelsea, PSG, and Arsenal, who were all ready to shell out a higher salary and a bigger bonus for both, Roque and Athletico Paranaense.
Fortunately for Barça, Roque had only team on his mind that helped push the transfer through.
This strategy of securing a highly-rated player before he could break through even further, and command a bidding war is the no. 1 reason why Barcelona took a punt on Roque. They are, however, hoping that he can make an instant impact.
Decision making
The report states that one of the key things Barcelona scouts found in their assessment of Roque is that he is a very skilled decision-maker. He has a very high conversion rate and is able to find a way through to convert even difficult chances.
Moreover, he is also a very skilled player without the ball. Much like Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati, Roque is always in the right place at the right time, and his dynamism allows him to create chaos on the pitch without being marked.
Barcelona have, statistically, one of the worst finishing in Europe, and would hope that Roque can help change the trajectory of their season.
