woahmark said:
This. I'd rather sign him than Lamela/Jovetic, he is younger and has more potential.
I'm a big fan of Deulofeu having watched him play for Juvenil A and Barca B the last few seasons but I certainly wouldn't say that he has more potential than Lamela/Jovetic nor would I prefer to have Gerard rather than Lamela/Jovetic in our first team set-up for next season.
Gerard has a lot of potential, perhaps more than Jovetic/Lamela, it's too early to tell. If we were to be sensible this window and buy players who have shown the ability to perform consistently at a high level I'd much rather us spend the money on Jovetic/Lamela. More money, much less risk.
There's no guarantee that Deulofeu will make it to the dizzying heights he's been hyped at. As a player he still has a lot to learn, his teamwork is quite frankly poor at this moment in time; he's a very selfish player who suffers from tunnel vision. The talents there he just needs more time to be moulded into a team player who can contribute to more than one phase of play effectively. His personality is also an issue; he doesn;t share the same humbleness that's a hallmark of most La MAsia graduates. Having said all that I still consider him a supreme talent and hope he makes it at the highest level. He certainly has the talent, there's just question marks about his attitude and whether he can cope with setbacks trying to break into a first team set-up.
To those talking about promotion, Sergi Roberto and Rafinha are due for promotion next season; both are in their 3rd phase of development now. Deulofeu could remain at Barca B for another half a season or be accelerated into the first team set-up. It seems unlikely that Cuenca will stay with the club long term and Villa/Sanchez may leave in the Summer leaving the attack as:
Messi, Pedro, Tello, Sanchez, Deulofeu, Neymar? (Rafinha will likely rotate between attacking roles and midfield roles much like Iniesta/Cesc)
At max they'll have 6 forwards to rotate between in the first team.