Arthur may have kicked his last ball as a Barcelona player already

Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

The player may not play again before joining Juventus

Arthur could have already played his last minutes in a Barcelona shirt. The Brazilian has signed a contract to join Juventus next season, and since then, he has not played at all.

Against Atlético Madrid and Villarreal, the midfielder didn’t get on the pitch. And the day before the deal went through. Arthur played, but just barely - 4 minutes against Celta Vigo.

Previously, he had started two of the last four games, and came on as a sub in the ones he didn’t. Before that, he had started against Real Madrid right before the coronavirus break.

“I will not say that he is in the exact same situation as before, evidently,” coach Quique Setién said, but maintained that Arthur “keeps training, he puts in effort, enthusiasm, and tries to do it as well as he can.”

The emergence of Riqui Puig has robbed the Brazilian of minutes in midfield, but with Frenkie de Jong injured and five changes available, it was still unusual to see Arthur not given almost any time in the past three games. Setién used his final sub to bring on a forward, Martin Braithwaite, in exchange for a midfielder, Sergio Busquets, against Villarreal. Was it tactical, or did he feel he couldn’t go to Arthur because he’s too unfocused?

Local media is speculating that his Barcelona career may already be over.

Source: barcablaugranes.com