For years, Barcelona were implored to find a Plan B. Someone who would give them another option when Plan A isn’t working. Zlatan Ibrahimovic looked like being that man for Pep Guardiola, until the two men had a very public different of opinions. For Luis Enrique, Paco Alcacer was signed to be that figure.
Indeed, Alcacer isn’t a striker in the mould of an archetypal Barcelona player. He is a traditional frontman, thriving as a pure finish inside the penalty box. Alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, he was something of a misfit last season, struggling to make much of an impression after arriving in a €30 million transfer from Valencia.
Of course, he wasn’t supposed to be like the others. That was the whole point of his signing, but Enrique never seemed sure of how to use Alcacer, only ever giving him a meaningful run out in early Copa del Rey games. Enrique’s successor Ernesto Valverde doesn’t apparently know how to use the Spanish international either, with the 24-year-old making only three appearances so far this season.
With Alcacer becoming something of a scapegoat at the Camp Nou over the past year or so, it’s easy to forget that he was once considered one of the finest forwards in La Liga. In fact, Alcacer was not so long ago Spain’s first choice number nine at national team level. His ability isn’t in question, it’s just that Barca has been the wrong fit for both player and club.
It’s therefore unsurprising that Alcacer is attracting attention from potential suitors, with Southampton reported to be lining up a January transfer window offer for the striker. There will likely be other interested parties when the window opens at the end of the year, but the South coast would be a good place for Alcacer to start the rebuild of his career.
Southampton, for starters, are in need of a top-class centre-forward. Managing just seven goals in eight Premier League games this season, the Saints are struggling to find their groove in the final third, with the likes of Manolo Gabbiadini and Shane Long so far failing to give Mauricio Pellegrino the firepower he needs.
Alcacer needs a club where he will be installed as the main man, with everything coming from him as the focal point of the attack. That’s the role he thrived in at Valencia and that’s the role Pellegrino, who will know the striker from his time in La Liga, would surely hand him at St Mary’s Stadium.
And in the Premier League, Alcacer would find an environment that would appear to suit his traits and qualities as a player. He is someone who thrives in a direct team, not in terms of teams who lump the ball long, but teams who play the ball forward quickly, allowing him to exploit defenders before they have had the chance to settle and organise themselves.
While Southampton’s squad is far from poor, they lack star power at the moment, particularly in the attacking areas of the pitch. Gabbiadini is still a reasonable option, but the magic has faded since the scoring run that followed his signing midway through last season. Alcacer could give the Saints a real cutting edge in the second half of the season.
There would be risk attached to the signing of the 24-year-old, with the past year sure to have had an effect on the mindset and confidence of Alcacer. Pellegrino would be charged with restoring the swagger to the striker’s play, but if he can do that his addition could be a shrewd one for Southampton.
