Did Barcelona jump the gun on their Denis Suarez to Arsenal announcement?

Barcelona may have prematurely announced Arsenal’s signing of midfielder Denis Suarez on loan until the end of the season.

Suarez will join the Gunners from the Catalan giants having fallen out of favour at the Nou Camp and has an option to buy in the deal.

Did Arsenal need to bring in Suarez? Here is what you need to know…

1. Suarez has joined up with the north London club until the end of the season.
2. The 25-year-old has played 69 times for Barcelona in all competitions, scoring eight goals.
3. The Spaniard has only made two La Liga appearances this campaign, making six showings in all competitions.
4. Unai Emery worked with Suarez when the pair were at La Liga outfit Sevilla.

Suarez will join up with his teammates immediately and will provide further squad-depth as the Gunners do their best to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season.

In announcing the deal, Barcelona also confirmed Suarez had signed a one-year extension on his contract keeping him tied to the club until 2021.

A statement read: “FC Barcelona and Denis Suárez have reached an agreement for the extension of the player’s contract with the club, which ended on 30 June 2020, until 30 June 2021.

“FC Barcelona have also agreed a loan deal for Suárez with Arsenal for the remainder of the 2018/19 season. The Premier League club will pay the player’s salary during this time and the agreement includes an option to buy.”

However, the statement on Barcelona’s website was quickly taken down with neither Arsenal or the Catalan club officially announcing Suarez’s move.

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Suarez’s career so far

Brought through the youth systems at both Porriño Industrial and later Celta Vigo, the talented wide-man was sought after by some of the biggest clubs in Europe including Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Instead, Suarez opted for the blue half of Manchester and signed with Manchester City in 2011 for a transfer fee of £850,000.

Frustratingly, Suarez failed to break through the packed City squad and only mustered two outings for the Citizens. Despite being named ‘Manchester City’s Young Player of the Year’ in 2012, Suarez joined Barcelona a year later for an undisclosed fee.

A successful loan spell at Sevilla saw Suarez make 46 appearances and score six goals. He also tasted his first moment of team success as Sevilla went on to win the Europa League in the 14/15 campaign.

With limited chances at Barcelona, Suarez moved to Villarreal on a permanent deal, although Barcelona ensured there was a buy-back option included.

Suarez only spent one season with Villarreal, making 48 appearances and scoring five goals before Barcelona re-signed their former player for just €3.5 million.

Since then, Suarez has developed into a highly capable player but has seen his time on the pitch dry up this season, largely due to the vast array of talent at Barcelona’s disposal.

Joining Arsenal, Suarez will provide competition in wide positions for the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi as the Gunners chase down a chance to qualify for next season’s Champions League campaign.

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