Barcelona signing this 20-year-old J-League talent would strengthen their reserves squad massively

Barcelona Opinon: How Barca can benefit from the signing of Hiroki Abe?

According to a report from Sport, Barcelona are set to add another exciting talent from Japan named Hiroki Abe.

The report adds that the scintillating attacker has bid adieu to Kashima Antlers, despite having a contract until 2021. Abe is going to be one of the many signings that the Catalans have done in recent times to refresh the reserves squad.

Abe – a promising forward billed from Asia

 The 20-year-old broke into the Kashima Antlers main team in 2017 and turned out as one of the promising talents for the consecutive seasons.

He racked up 7 goals and 5 assists in the process and nabbed the Rookie of the Year award in 2018. Abe garnered further attention when he made his debut for the Japanese national team in the recently ended Copa America tournament.

Barca in the works to strengthen their reserve squad

The Catalans have a long-held reputation for scrutinizing exciting talents and forging them into stars, as we have witnessed through the signings they made in the past. 

However, despite losing some key reserves players like Rafa Mujica and Marc Cucurella, they have still managed to grab up some Dutch players namely Ludovit Reis and Mike Van Beijnen.

What sort of a player is Abe?

The J-League forward played his debut season as a midfielder with an eye for creativity and attack. He was comfortable on the wide role on both sides of the flanks.

However, there was a quick transition in the following season, especially with his national side. Abe played as a second striker, manifesting his versatility to play on the front line.

What does the future hold for Abe in Spain?

Abe can be an integral part of the Blaugrana’s B team, which saw some promising talents like Riqui Puig, Moussa Wague and Abel Ruiz getting promoted to the main team in the latter half of the season. 

The Japanese prodigy can soon follow the footsteps of the aforementioned players as he holds the ability to do so. With his signing, Barca would have another player who has represented their national team at a young age alongside the Senegalese international Wague.

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Final Verdict

Earlier, Barca were dealt a huge blow by losing their former academy product Takefusa Kubo – another prodigal talent from Japan and Abe’s teammate for both club and country – to Real Madrid. As a means of retaliation, the Catalans should sign Abe.