Bringing Denis Suarez back to Barcelona was a no-brainer. After his performances for Villarreal last season -- which were followed firsthand by the Catalan club's sporting director Robert Fernandez -- it would have made no sense not to exercise their right to re-sign him for €3.25 million.
The 22-year-old scored five goals and created 11 more as Villarreal reached the semifinals of the Europa League and finished fourth in La Liga, good enough to secure a spot in next season's Champions League. If he were to have been sold to another team, one in, say, England, he would likely have fetched upwards of €20 million.
Ya estoy en casa / Now I'm home pic.twitter.com/xiyUzhSX6E
- Denis Suarez (@DenisSuarez36) July 6, 2016
Barca could yet end up paying a substantial amount more for him yet, however. Even though he technically left the club for free last summer, the clauses they agreed on with Manchester City when they first signed him in 2013 still stand. The Premier League side will pocket €800,000 once he officially becomes a member of the first team and another €800,000 each time he plays 10 games -- up to 100 appearances.
In total, including the €1.6 million initially paid to City, Suarez could end up costing Barcelona north of €13 million. If that figure is reached, though, it will mean he's played 100 first team games, which you'd presume would mean he'd done something right.
But despite the economics of the deal, there are questions surrounding what happens next with Suarez. Where does he fit into Luis Enrique's jigsaw?
Over the last three seasons he's represented Barca B, Sevilla and Villarreal; managed by Eusebio, Unai Emery and Marcelino, respectively. Each club and each manager have found different roles for him. He's played in the center of midfield, as an attacking midfielder, second forward, left-winger and a central midfielder again. No one has quite been able to agree on his best position.
However, the player himself is sure. "I think I can play on either flank or in either of the advanced positions in a midfield three, where my natural position would be on the left," he said as he was officially presented at Camp Nou in front of the media on Wednesday.
That position is one currently occupied by a certain Andres Iniesta, a player Suarez cited as a reference: "Since I was young I've focused on Andres. He's an example not just as a player, but also as a person. I've come here to learn how Iniesta plays in a similar, nearly identical position to me, and hopefully in the future I might prove to be as good as he is."
Iniesta's form at the European Championships, as Spain made an early exit in France, indicated he still has plenty of football left in his legs, but it was increasingly obvious last season that Luis Enrique is beginning to manage his minutes more. He's 32 now and already has Rafinha, Sergi Roberto and Arda Turan queuing behind him, waiting to take advantage of any injury, suspension or rest. Now you can add Suarez to that list.
Suarez should be praised for being so clear about his desired position and craving to play as much as possible. Too often players have been trotted out on the stage in the Ricard Maxenchs' press room and claimed they're happy to play wherever the manager wants them to play, whenever he wants them to play. There's nothing wrong with a bit of ambition and clarity.
And he clearly isn't fazed by the challenge of moving to a club he repeatedly referred to as "the best in the world."
The proof of that is his appetite to inherit the No. 6 shirt, vacated by Dani Alves (who signed with Juventus) but formerly worn by Xavi Hernandez. "It's not priority, but I'd like that number," he said. "It was worn by an idol."
So his cards are on the table. He sees himself in the middle of the Barca midfield -- not as an alternative to Neymar on the left of the front three, a role SPORT suggested he could fill. That versatility could prove a plus in his first season back as he fights for minutes, but ultimately it seems he could one day become the contingency plan for Iniesta, as hard as it is at the moment to imagine the Catalan side without their No. 8.
Suarez admitted he's still not spoken with Luis Enrique, though, and he's the man with the plan. What's undoubtable is that it's going to be hard going to break into a side which has won seven out of the nine available trophies in the last two years.
In the meantime, after snapping selfies in the beaming heat on the Camp Nou pitch and posing for photos alongside his new sponsored Audi, the player can continue to celebrate the transfer he always hoped would materialise. Barca can celebrate a transfer they'd have been stupid not to push through.