Arda Turan in Last-Chance Saloon After Failure to Click at Barcelona

It was a moment like many others, outside training grounds across the country. Not every player can stop every time for fans. They have their own lives to attend to, even if they are grateful for the support they are given.

But perhaps, considering Arda Turan's precarious position, he should have paused. The star was driving out of the Ciutat Esportiva on Monday afternoon, and a group of young supporters wanted to greet him, no doubt looking for a photograph or an autograph.

Although the Turkish midfielder slowed, probably anxious to make sure he didn't accidentally clip anybody with his car, he was not about to stop.

A slap against his window and a shout of "Son of a w---e!" followed as he sped away.

According to Sport, veteran Andres Iniesta and new signing Samuel Umtiti were among the Barcelona players who did stop to greet supporters after that.

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Turan was signed from Atletico Madrid for €34 million and with plenty of fanfare last summer, and having to wait six months for him to play thanks to Barcelona's ban on registering players raised expectation levels.

Luis Enrique did not want to loan out the midfielder to keep his match rhythm up, thinking it was more important that he embedded himself in the city, the culture and the squad, forming bonds with his team-mates in training and continuing to practise the language.

Turan does not speak Spanish fluently, despite having been in the country for five years when he arrived in the capital to play for Atletico Madrid in August 2011.

However, that didn’t affect him with the Rojiblancos and isn’t the reason he is struggling to tread water in Catalonia. His is a curious case—on paper, he still seems like exactly the right player for Barcelona.

A versatile attacking midfielder, who can play either on the left or the right of the attack but is ideally competing for one of the two interior midfield positions, should be very useful for Luis Enrique based on his formation and tactics.

Turan has always wanted to play for Barcelona, so it isn't a question of motivation. And his former coach Carles Cuadrat told Sport how the Blaugrana game was in his DNA even back in 2009 with Galatasaray.

When a good exchange of passes was done, he shouted "Ole!" and looked at Albert and me, saying "Like Xavi, like Iniesta!"

Have no doubt that Arda has been a lover of Barcelona's game since childhood, and for him to play against them in Spain, and fight for leagues and cups like in recent years, is a very special thing for him. To sign for them and be a Barcelona player is the culmination of a dream career.

His game seemed like a good fit too. He is a technically adroit player, and his combative edge was another plus—an attribute that Barcelona players haven’t always been known for.

When Turan first arrived, he said all the right things. It seemed like a match made in heaven.

He stated, per Sport: "I have a vision of football and after coming to Barca, I am giving my opinion as a Barca player, and Messi, not only now, is the best player in the world.

"Cristiano [Ronaldo] is also very good, but for me, nobody in the past or the future will be like Messi."

And yet, in the 2013 and 2014 Ballon d'Or votes, he elected for Ronaldo over Messi.

The first five months of his Barcelona career proper, from January to May, were a big disappointment.

Luis Enrique seemed reluctant to give him the full 90 minutes on many occasions, which indicated that he wasn't happy with Turan's fitness level.

That is something that was backed up by the coach's request that he come in early to training this summer, whereas the other players who featured in UEFA Euro 2016 were allowed more time off, per the club's official website.

As recently as in July, Sport were saying that Barcelona wanted to run Turan out of town, although the Asturian coach was a staunch defender of the Turk.

It seems likely that it is only Luis Enrique’s defence that has kept Turan at Barcelona and he is firmly in the last-chance saloon.

That seems a little harsh considering he has only had six months to prove himself. But considering how much he cost and the fact that he turns 30 in January, if Barcelona are going to sell him, then the sooner they do it, the more money they will get back for him.

Through winning so frequently, Barcelona have created a situation where success is expected, and that gives players like Turan less time to find a groove. He needs to produce instant results.

It seemed like his early recall this summer was paying off, with a spectacular goal against Celtic in Barcelona's first pre-season friendly.

Unfortunately, that was the high point, and the other matches—against Leicester City and Liverpool—were very disappointing.

Sport's player ratings, even for the Celtic match, show the verdict on Turan in the club's International Champions Cup fixtures has not been favourable.

Javier Miguel gave him a six out of 10 for the game he netted in, writing: "Scored the first goal with a fine effort from outside the box. His game worsened from there and by the end he was exhausted, taken off early in the second half."

The Spaniard was correct, with Turan's spark rapidly dying as the game progressed.

In the second match against Leicester, he was passable but nothing special despite having been in pre-season training before many of the other players on his team.

Finally, against Liverpool at Wembley, he saved the worst for last. He made a mistake which led to Sadio Mane's opening goal, and throughout the game never seemed at the right rhythm.

Messi and Luis Suarez were on a different wavelength to Turan, and it is his job to find it. Like Iniesta does, the Turk has to calibrate himself to match the men ahead of him and play to that tune.

Iniesta is good enough to call the shots himself, but with weapons as deadly as Messi and Suarez, it makes more sense if the creative midfielders dedicate themselves to supplying the bullets in the exact way the forwards demand.

With the arrival of Andre Gomes, Turan will not get many more shots. The young Portuguese star is a direct rival for one of the interior roles, and Rafinha will be the same when he returns from the Rio Olympic Games, where he is currently playing with Neymar.

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Ivan Rakitic has rarely put a foot wrong in a Barcelona shirt, and Sergi Roberto’s star keeps rising.

Despite protection from the coach, Turan knows he doesn’t have much longer to demonstrate his worth. The Joan Gamper Trophy on Wednesday night is one opportunity, but a bigger one comes on August 14 in Seville, against Sevilla, when Barcelona dispute the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup.

Lucho gave him a headstart by calling him in early, and while players like Iniesta and Rakitic have just a handful of minutes under their belts, Turan in theory should be ready for the season and is reasonably likely to get to start against Sevilla.

If he can take that chance, it could be the start of something good for him at Barcelona. If he fails again, it wouldn’t even be out of the question to see him leave before the month is out.

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