Chelsea fans share their thoughts on Valentin Barco after his debut against Luton Town
Valentin Barco might have faced a chilly welcome from the traveling Luton Town fans, but that didn’t stop him from putting on an amazing show in his first game for Chelsea.
The 22-year-old joined Chelsea this month from Strasbourg, which is also owned by BlueCo, for about £34 million. He started in midfield alongside Reece James for Xabi Alonso’s team.
Right from the start, every time Barco touched the ball, he was met with loud boos from the Luton fans. Some home fans even joined in, likely because of what happened at the World Cup this summer.
If you missed it, Barco ran onto the pitch to celebrate Lautaro Martinez’s late winner and teased the England players before Argentina made it to the final. So, his debut in English football wasn’t the friendliest, but his performance definitely won Chelsea fans over.
Barco, who last season made more accurate through balls than any player in Europe’s top five leagues, helped set up Danny Welbeck’s first goal and was a big part of the second. He showed great energy in midfield and looked confident with the ball, completing 97 out of 104 passes and creating two big chances.
Many fans were impressed, even if they had to watch through gritted teeth. One said, “Everything Adam Wharton can do, Barco can too, and I’m not exaggerating.” Another wrote, “Valentin Barco was key to the first goal, got stuck in with a tackle, and set up Palmer to assist Estevao. Brilliant debut.” Others called him a “Chelsea-level player” and even said Chelsea had already improved on Enzo Fernandez with Barco.
Against Luton, Barco showed he can do great even without Enzo Fernandez, who wasn’t in Xabi Alonso’s squad and looks set to leave Stamford Bridge. Fernandez is linked with Manchester City, where he could reunite with former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.
Maresca has made Fernandez a top target after Rodri left for Barcelona, and City might make a big offer before the transfer window closes next week.
This week, Maresca said he hopes to bring in “a captain” before the window shuts. He said, “We have experienced players and leaders already, but we need to wait a few days to see if we can add one or two more captains alongside Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland, who are currently the captains.”