Only a few days ago it looked like Dani Alves might be leaving Barcelona to play out the rest of his career in Italy.

It was not necessarily a bad thing. At 32, one could assume that the Brazilian's best days were behind him and that it might be time for Barcelona move on from him.

However, on Tuesday the news arrived that Alves would not only be staying in 2015-16, but that he had signed a contract to keep him with the club for two more years. In essence, Alves would be playing with the team until the age of 34, when he would undoubtedly be past his best and could be a liability.

Does the deal make sense? Time to play Devil's Advocate for both sides of the story.

Why it makes sense

Everyone knows Barcelona's woes. The team cannot make any purchases until January of 2016. However, few major players are available during the Winter window meaning that the team would not be able to make any substantial buys until the summer of 2016.

The wingback position is crucial to Barcelona's style of play, allowing the team to outnumber teams on the flanks in the offensive third. In Luis Enrique's side, where the counter is a prominent part of the attack, full backs with attacking potential become all the more crucial. Alves suits both of these systems, not only because of his experience with them, but his skill set fits the bill.

Because the team cannot buy a replacement, letting him go would force Blaugrana to dip into a prospect pool that at this point in time is far from complimentary. Martin Montoya or Jeremy Mathieu would end up being the other options, but neither can play the way Alves has throughout his time in Barcelona.

The stats also make a case for Alves to stay. He managed 10 assists on the year, a huge improvement from last season when he had just three assists in the Spanish League and Champions League.

He remained steady in most statistical categories, for the most part, showing that any decline is a slow one. That said...

Why it is a bad move

There was a decline for Alves in 2014-15. It was not a noticeable one, but certainly a concerning one in the coming years when his body will inevitably slow and his reliance on pace will be more difficult.

Defensively, Alves was more aggressive, averaging more tackles per game than ever before in his career (4.1). He committed around the same number of fouls as he has most of his career, which shows that his intelligence in taking tackles has remained at its best.

The dips come in crucial defensive categories of interceptions per game, clearances per game and how often a player is dribbled past. From 2009-2012, Alves was hovering around 2.0 interceptions per game. During Barcelona's mediocre 2012-13 season, Alves hit rock bottom in this statistic, managing less that one interception per game. His sample size was smaller, but the drop was noticeable. The numbers have improved since, but Alves has not gotten to the type of numbers he was posting prior to that season with his total coming in at 1.5 interceptions per game across the UCL and Spanish League. That could be a result of a decreasing awareness of the game or his growing inability to make those kinds of plays.

In a Barcelona side where possession is tantamount, getting the ball back, even via interception, is crucial.

Alves has a career average of 1.5 clearances per game. Here is a rundown of how that number has changed from 2009-10 through 2014-15: In 2009-10, he managed 2.1 clearances per game. The following year, 2010-11, he cleared the ball around 1.7 times per game. In 2011-12, that number declined to 1.1 before increasing to 1.4 a year later. In 2013-14 it remained at an average of 1.4 but decreased this season to just one per game. Notice the trend?

This gradual decline certainly could result from numerous factors. His responsibilities have shifted less and less in terms of his defensive obligations. Barcelona was far tighter defensively this season, meaning that the opportunities for clearing were lessened. Other players took the load.

It is a decline however and certainly something to be aware of from a defensive player.

The one statistic that has no excuse however is how often Alves gets dribbled past. This is solely on his positional awareness and speed. His career average stands at one dribble past per game. Prior to 2012-13, he was getting dribbled past less than one time per game. Since then, he has been getting dribbled past around 1.4 times per game. His speed will only slow and this will likely mean his getting dribbled past on a more consistent basis. Why is this so problematic? Because he will become an increasing part of the other teams' game plan against Barcelona. He will become the defense's Achilles heel that opposing forwards will relish running at with speed.

Also worthy of notice? His offensive stats, despite an increase in the raw numbers, are actually down. His key passes per game have been in decline for the last two seasons. His shots per game were down this year and he actually failed to score a single goal in Spain this season; that had never happened before to Alves.

Time will tell if the team's faith in the Brazilian pays off or not. It will be an interesting two years to be sure.