Barcelona Head of Scouting Names Arthur Dias: “That Is the Profile of Centre-Back We Are Looking For”
It is no longer just silent scouting from the stands. One of Barcelona’s most important figures in recruitment has broken his silence and clearly revealed the type of defender the Catalan club is looking for to strengthen its back line.
The surprise is that he did not stop at describing the profile. He named a specific player, a youngster who is not yet 20 and who is starting to catch the eye of all of Europe.
We are talking about João Amaral, Barcelona’s Portuguese head of scouting, who confirmed that Brazilian defender Arthur Dias of Athletico Paranaense represents the model the club is searching for at centre-back.
Speaking to The Pitch Invaders, in comments reported by Spanish outlet SPORT, Amaral said: “We are working to identify profiles with these characteristics, such as those Arthur Dias possesses: a fast player with a great relationship with the ball. That is the profile of centre-back we are looking to find to strengthen the team.”
The head of scouting explained that Barcelona’s ideal defender must be comfortable playing in a high line, have the pace to recover and cover the space in behind, and possess the technical quality to play incisive passes under pressure, qualities that suit Hansi Flick’s system, which often leaves big spaces behind the defence.
Amaral had personally travelled to the Arena da Baixada to watch Arthur Dias during Athletico Paranaense’s 2-1 win over Bahia, a match the young defender played in full.
Arthur Dias is 19, left-footed and able to play on either side of a central defensive pairing. He also received his first senior call-up to Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti, featuring in the 4-0 win over India after a brief appearance against Australia.
Ancelotti praised the young defender after the game: “He did well. He’s a footballer I didn’t know, and I really liked what I saw from him.”
The road will not be easy for Barcelona. Athletico Paranaense rejected an offer from Tottenham during the summer, the player is under contract until the end of 2028, and clubs such as Newcastle, Benfica and Como are also following him, while Brazilian reports say Barcelona are still in the evaluation phase and have not yet made a formal offer.
Amaral also spoke about his relationship with sporting director Deco: “Our personal and professional relationship is extremely strong. Deco makes the processes much simpler because of the person he is and his ability to build empathy within the club.”
He also praised Hansi Flick’s approach to young players: “Flick does not look at the players’ ages. He looks at their skills and abilities.”
Barcelona’s head of scouting closed with a clear message about the club’s recruitment philosophy: “The day Barcelona gets to know a player because an agent has recommended him, we will have done our job badly.”
