Aubameyang and De Jong prove transfer doubters wrong
Karan Tejwani
- Updated: 12 Apr 2022 15:51 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona have rapidly improved over the course of the last few months, rising from ninth in the league when Xavi took over as head coach to now being in second, behind leaders Real Madrid.
A huge part of their rise has been the impressive form of their forwards – one of whom only joined in January, and the other who has been a wildcard off the bench.
Both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Luuk de Jong have contributed to important goals this season, and they’ve given Barcelona a boost in the table.
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Aubameyang and De Jong have been crucial for Barcelona
Aubameyang moved on the last day of the winter transfer window and has contributed to 10 goals in 14 appearances across all competitions, eight of which have come in the league, including a brace in against Real Madrid a few weeks ago.
He has netted a goal every 51 minutes since joining the club, which is different from his last 18 months at Arsenal where it seemed as though his form was massively dropping off.
The Gabonese has been a mainstay in the first team since joining Barcelona and has formed a great partnership with fellow January signing Ferran Torres.
Is there a greater honour for a Barcelona player than to be booed off at the Bernabeu while winning 4-0? 😂
Two goals and an assist in a phenomenal #ElClasico debut for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 🙌 pic.twitter.com/9qquwPGaWR— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) March 20, 2022
De Jong, meanwhile, has been one of the surprises of the season, having been under scrutiny when he first signed for the club at the end of the summer transfer window.
The Dutchman was signed as a replacement for Antoine Griezmann, who left for Atletico Madrid, and he has repaid that faith with some key goals over the last few months.
De Jong has scored seven times in 23 appearances, which isn’t a record as great as Aubameyang’s, but the goals have been of high value to Barcelona’s league standing this season.
He has won the Blaugrana six points this season, and his most recent contribution was a 92nd minute winner against Levante at the weekend.
Those six points were won through a winner against Alaves and an equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Granada in January, a late equalizer against city rivals Espanyol in a 2-2 draw in February and the winner against Levante this past weekend.
Xavi’s Barcelona are unbeaten in 15 in the league – the longest run in Europe’s top five leagues – and they’ll be hoping to close the gap on Real Madrid as much as possible as the season comes to a close.
