Barcelona have found their new Messi and Neymar

FC Barcelona lost Lionel Messi this summer, and the void left by Neymar's exit in 2017 could still be felt at the Camp Nou. However, it appears as though the arrivals of Memphis Depay and Luuk de Jong may be able to help fill the cavernous space left behind by those players.

Memphis arrived this summer with the backing of manager Ronald Koeman. The Dutch manager personally recruited his compatriot, and his confidence was returned almost immediately by the player. Memphis has already scored an astonishing seven goals this early in the 2021/22 season. Two of those goals were scored for Barcelona, while another five came in only three games for the national team.

Barcelona had been strapped for cash, and they did not have much to work with when it came to the summer transfer market. However, they struck a massive bargain by being able to bring in Memphis on a free transfer from French side Lyon.

Lionel Messi was forced to ply his trade elsewhere after the Blaugrana failed to find a way to accommodate his salary. Even with a massive pay cut, Barcelona could not afford to retain their captain, who has since moved on to Paris Saint-Germain.

Memphis has been left to fill some massive shoes, especially since another summer arrival, Sergio Aguero, has been left sidelined due to injury even before he was able to make his debut. So far, Memphis has been lighting up the pitch for Barcelona, and Koeman may have made a genius move.

Meanwhile, the club's acquisition of another Dutch player, Luuk de Jong, may also be what they are looking for to finally free themselves from the ghost of Neymar Jr. In fact, according to Marca, Koeman believes that de Jong is "more dangerous than Neymar."

"When there's a cross coming in, Luuk is more dangerous than Neymar," Koeman said. "He's a different kind of forward to what we have, and I think all teams should have one like him."

The manager also revealed that he had wanted to bring in de Jong as early as last summer, but they were only able to complete the deal at the last minute this year. He also pointed out that the departure of Antoine Griezmann, who is now out on loan back to Atletico Madrid, made it more urgent to bring in a new forward.

Barcelona have been able to make the most out of the situation despite being forced to operate with their bank book in mind. It remains to be seen how well they can rebuild after making such massive changes. They will need to remain competitive on the pitch, even as they also focus on regaining their financial health.