How Busquets warned Xavi against bringing ex-Liverpool flop to Barcelona

20 Oct 2023 13:04 BST
3 min read

Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Barcelona — © ProShots

Sergio Busquets prevented Xavi from bring Arthur Melo back to Barcelona by stating the former Liverpool flop would be a bad influence on younger players.

Arthur joined Liverpool on loan from Juventus on deadline day last summer but he played just 13 minutes before suffering an injury and eventually failed to make another appearance during his time at the club.

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The Brazilian, who is now on loan at Fiorentina, spent two years at Barcelona before moving to Juventus in 2020 in a complicated swap deal for Miralem Pjanic, which led to an investigation by authorities into the finances behind the deal.

CRITICAL: 'Taylor Swift has more Anfield appearances than Arthur!'

Arthur’s time at Barcelona was disappointing, having arrived from Gremio with a high reputation, and the midfielder struggled to be a consistent figure in the first team, making 48 appearances in La Liga during his time at the club.

According to the Barca Reservat podcast, Xavi was looking for an attacking midfielder with good technique and asked captain Busquets his opinion of Arthur, who was his teammate during his time at the club.

But Busquets is said to have warned Xavi of Arthur’s ‘disorderly lifestyle’ while at Barca and suggested the player would not be a good example to the club’s younger stars, which put him out of contention to make a return.

Barca told not to sign ‘conflicted player who creates problems’

Arthur was not the only player to miss out on a move to Barca due to the opinions of their players, with Xavi also seeking opinions on Benjamin Pavard as he looked for a right-back who could also play as a centre-back.

Xavi is said to have asked Ousmane Dembele his thoughts on his French compatriot but he was told that Pavard is a ‘conflicted player who creates problems in the dressing room’, leading to Barca deciding against a move.

REWIND: How Pavard missed out on big money transfer to Premier League

The decision to not sign both Pavard and Arthur appeared to pay off as Barcelona comfortably won their first La Liga title in four years and solved their issues this summer.

Currently at Fiorentina, Arthur reveals that he received an offer from Fluminense in the middle of the year and said:

"I feel more complete today. Ever. I think I'm at the peak of my career. I learned a lot." pic.twitter.com/dqBK36TYuM
— Neymoleque | Fan 🇧🇷 (@Neymoleque) October 13, 2023

Joao Cancelo joined on loan from Manchester City to fill Barca’s void at right-back, while Ilkay Gundogan also signed from the Premier League side on a free transfer as a midfield option.