It seems like Brighton and Hove Albion have done it again. By beating top sides to secure Valentin Barco, the highly-rated youngster is the latest to arrive directly from South America after the successes of Alexis Mac Allister (£5.8m), Moises Caicedo (£4.5m), Facundo Buonanotte (£4.7m) and Julio Enciso (£5.0m).
Barco’s low $10m (£7.8m) release clause was triggered last week. But what may concern Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers is that he primarily plays in the same position as Pervis Estupinan (£5.1m).
So will 19-year-old Barco immediately affect the latter’s game time and what impact will he have in FPL?
We’ll attempt to answer those questions below.
VALENTIN BARCO: THE HISTORY
Even by the modern-day football standard of buying players as young as possible, reading that Sportivo Las Parejas signed a three-year-old Barco caused a double-take.
But it was the famed Boca Juniors academy which provided a platform for El Colo to fulfil his potential. A first-team debut came aged 16, before allowing him to spend the 2022 season back with the reserves.
This paved the way for his 2023 breakthrough, playing an instrumental role in Boca’s run to the Copa Libertadores final. Sadly for them, it ended in a 2-1 extra-time defeat to Fluminense.
Barco’s 35 Boca appearances have brought two goals, alongside two Argentina under-23 caps – where he’s currently on international duty playing CONMEBOL qualifiers for the Olympics.
So it speaks highly about his ability that Brighton – a club known for their smart recruitment – went out of their way to secure his signature over the likes of Manchester City. He’s signed a four-and-a-half-year contract, with the easy joke being that he’ll join Chelsea after the first two.
PLAYING STYLE
Good on the ball and a strong dribbler, his diminutive stature – 5ft 7in – will raise initial concerns about his ability to immediately cut it in the rough and tumble of the Premier League.
There will, of course, always be weaknesses in someone so young, be it technical or physical. And height is no barrier in itself: Billy Gilmour (£4.9m) is similarly built and is now a key cog in the Albion machine.
Regular players of Football Manager 2024 will instantly recognise Barco as one of the game’s most notorious wonderkids. The thoroughly researched game is known for identifying the next generation of superstars and Sports Interactive’s head of research in Argentina, Facundo Delgado, speaks highly of him in an i interview with Oliver Young-Myles.
“In the Liberatores final he tried to score [directly] from a corner kick! He tries things that you only find from people who have very strong confidence, so fans will probably be struck by that from the get-go.
“He’s very strong in dribbling, not because of his speed but because of his technique. He has really good vision, his long passing is top notch. He tends to turn inside the box and that’s how he provides most of his assists. He wouldn’t exactly be a Pervis Estupinan replacement in my opinion, he’s more of a central attacker for me.” – Facundo Delgado
That last line relates to the fact that – despite generally being referred to as a left-back – Barco has often been deployed on the left wing, also featuring in central midfield.
DOES BARCO AFFECT FPL FAVOURITE ESTUPINAN?
Therefore it’s not just Estupinan whose starting spot is under threat. Once Kaoru Mitoma (£6.4m) returns from injury, it could also be the Japanese international’s minutes being shared out.
Below is the Transfermarkt distribution of Barco’s 32 club outings in 2023, from all competitions.
Then again, he did describe himself to FIFA as “all-round full-back” who is always trying to get into the penalty area.
The more accurate assessment is likely by his new employers, who’ve studied everything about this career so far. Brighton have an idea of what they want Barco to eventually be but his versatility matches well with Roberto De Zerbi’s tactics.
“He has played predominantly on the left side, as a full-back, wing-back or winger, but also shown his versatility with Boca, playing across the midfield. He is an exciting prospect. But it’s also important we give him the time as he needs to settle and adapt to new surroundings and the Premier League.” – Technical Director David Weir
Recent games have seen them use 4-2-3-1, 4-3-1-2 and a system where Estupinan was part of a three-man defence. Not that it stopped the Ecuadorian from bringing in FPL points, as the latter ended in Brighton’s first league clean sheet of the season – at the 20th attempt.
He was also a centre-back at Stoke City in the FA Cup, an occasion where he scored a long-range strike. Following Monday night’s second consecutive 0-0 draw, his four post-injury matches have yielded two goals and two shut-outs.
Above: Defenders during Gameweeks 1 to 6, ranked by touches inside the box
Furthermore, Estupinan’s final 19 Gameweeks of 2022/23 delivered 15 returns and, until Gameweek 6, he was the leading defender for goal involvements (four), big chances created (four) and penalty area touches (24).
Such pedigree tempted over one million FPL managers to buy him heading into Gameweek 21. It’s hard to see De Zerbi rotating this in-form player anytime soon, especially with no European action (and the accompanying concerns over fatigue) until March.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Add that to the natural easing-in process of Barco – where sending him immediately out on loan remains a possibility – and it’s unlikely that he’ll displace Estupinan over the short term. Perhaps he’s been bought in anticipation of a summer sale for the former Villarreal man.
Besides, if trusted to soon start, it could easily be both Estupinan at left-back and Barco on the left wing.
Unpriced at the time of writing, he joins a defence whose underlying stats contradict their lack of clean sheets. They possess the fifth-best record for preventing attempts (254) and sixth-best for denying shots on target (84).
As for upcoming fixtures, our Season Ticker places the Seagulls top between now and Gameweek 28. Both they and Man City remain in the FA Cup, so Gameweek 29 could certainly become a blank.
It’s a wait-and-see process for Barco in FPL. Should he remain at Brighton once the transfer window closes, the community can then listen out for additional De Zerbi quotes about how he sees Barco integrating into life on the south coast.
However, these minutes may only begin during the latter months, when fixtures get noticeably tougher.
