BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino is happy to wait until January to see whether he needs to sign a new centre-back, the Argentine said ahead of the opening game of their La Liga title defence.
Barca’s search for a defensive reinforcement has dominated their pre-season preparations, with seemingly unsuccessful attempts to land Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Daniel Agger, leaving them potentially thin at the back.
Latest reports are that Martino, who was rushed in as a replacement for Tito Vilanova last month when Pep Guardiola’s former assistant stepped down for health reasons, wants time to consider his options.
“Just to make my position clear regarding centre-backs,” Martino told a news conference yesterday, ahead of the visit of Levante.
“I know what the club was doing before I came here and what they wanted, even with Tito here.
“What I say is that as long as (Carles) Puyol is fine - and he will be because his recovery is going well - with Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano, Marc Bartra, Adriano or Sergio Busquets as centre-backs, we are fine.
“If we have an injury, there is always the winter transfer window.”
Puyol has yet to return to full training with the squad after knee surgery and failed to make the squad for today, which means Pique and Mascherano are likely to resume their partnership at the back. REUTERS
