Should FC Barcelona sign Dusan Vlahovic?
Vlahović can score goals, but can he survive FC Barcelona's chaos? A tactical deep-dive into whether he fits Hansi Flick's relentless machine.
There's a seductive simplicity to the transfer market's siren song: find an elite striker, plug him in, score more goals. Simple, right? Well, it's the kind of thinking that gets clubs into trouble; the kind that ignores the delicate ecosystem of a footballing environment in favour of names, numbers and highlights. In essence, this is what people mean when they say 'chase profiles, not names'.
Barcelona under Hansi Flick have become the most entertaining paradox in Europe; hyper-vertical and fluid yet unyieldingly structured, albeit still often flawed, in the press. They're a team whose games bend into chaos but whose chaos is carefully engineered. It's quite poetic, really.
But into this orchestra of movement and constraint walks the idea of Dušan Vlahović: a penalty-box predator with a thunderous presence and an aerial threat who feasts on early deliveries and cutbacks.
But the question we have to answer today is not whether he's good. He is. Or rather, he can be... when the mood strikes. The question is whether he's good for this Barcelona, at this moment, for this identity.
Let me explain.
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Who is Dušan Vlahović?
Let's start with the uncomfortable truth right from the bat: Dušan Vlahović is not an all-phase forward. He is, instead, a specialist whose craft reveals itself in the details that occur inside the box. He is what you could call a spearhead number 9, something akin to someone like Victor Osimhen, albeit not quite at the same level.
Watch his three-step deceleration before a cutback arrives, the way he leans into a centre-back with his left shoulder to arrest the duel just enough to create separation for a volley. Or observe how his aerial timing often seeks the second contact rather than contesting the first, arriving where the ball will drop after a flick-on or a defender's misjudged leap. These are striker arts, and they are rare.
The numbers would suggest this ability often translates into the finished product. In his 2024/25 Champions League sample, for example, Vlahović averaged approximately 3.1 shots per 90 with a non-penalty expected goals figure of around 0.39 per 90 and actual non-penalty goals of roughly 0.49 per 90.
His touches in the box are high, his presence is imposing, and when the service is structured around him, he consistently generates quality chances. At 1.90 metres with a bulky frame and left-footed, he lives in the corridor between the penalty spot and the six-yard box, timing near-post darts and back-post arrivals with an instinct that cannot be taught. Sounds perfect, right?
But here's where it gets complicated.
