Barcelona no longer 100% certain about signing Portuguese duo permanently

The duo of the ‘Joaos’ – Cancelo and Felix brought tremendous hopes at FC Barcelona.

Both players arrived on loan this summer with the reputation of being talented but inconsistent players, struggling to maintain a high level consistently but when they show up, they are near-unstoppable.

With Felix having a point to prove due to being frozen out at Atletico, and Cancelo wanting to prove his doubters wrong after some internal tension at Manchester City, their early games garnered plenty of praise out of the blocks.

So much so, that the club started considering the possibility of signing both of them permanently next summer and had reportedly begun crunching the numbers to do so.

However, these positive sentiments are now waning, and Barcelona are no longer fully sure that they want to finalise their signings according to Javi Miguel.

Inconsistencies are cropping up

In his initial months at Barcelona, Joao Cancelo has especially displayed both flashes of brilliance and moments of inconsistency.

While he is fast, skilled, and a real attacking asset, he also tends to be chaotic, unpredictable, and at times, self-centered.

He has left gaps at the back on numerous occasions and his tendency to venture into unmarked territory often disrupts the team’s balance.

Aside from that, there have been games where his attacking impact has also been invisible.

Joao Felix, who initially faced criticism within the club, was a personal choice of Joan Laporta, who had been closely following the Portuguese star from Atletico Madrid for years and was adamant about bringing him to Barcelona.

Felix had also professed his affection for Barcelona in an interview, which worsened his situation at Atletico following an unsuccessful loan stint at Chelsea.

After a promising start, contributing with assists and goals at Barcelona, Felix secured his place in the starting lineup, but primarily operating from the left wing.

However, after this bright beginning, he has slowly regressed to a point where he struggles to make a significant impact in front of goal.

He hasn’t scored in 10 games and has not quite generated enough chances for his teammates either.

It is still to early to pass final judgment on these two players, but Miguel states that those anticipating Barcelona making a significant investment to retain them this summer may be disappointed.

A left winger and defensive midfielder are seemingly the priority for the Catalans when they next decide to spend some money.