The cadence of the summer season switch window might have been disrupted by the Membership World Cup however golf equipment have resumed enterprise as common, collectively spending nearly $5 billion with a month nonetheless on the clock till deadline day. Lots of Europe’s high golf equipment have contributed handily to that grand complete, however one has opted for a a lot quieter technique – Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, contemporary off their spectacular La Liga and Copa del Rey-winning season.
Barcelona have spent round $32 million on switch charges thus far this summer season, most of it on goalkeeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol, although Copenhagen fetched a modest payment for ahead Roony Bardghji. The crew’s flashiest signing of the summer season thus far is arguably Marcus Rashford, who joined the crew on a season-long mortgage from Manchester United with an choice to purchase subsequent yr, and although there’s nonetheless time for Barcelona to do extra, there’s little indication that they are going to.
They’d not be the primary to take a reasonable strategy to their summer season enterprise, neither is it unusual to see a title-winning facet largely keep on with the squad that put within the onerous work earlier than gathering the winners’ medals. It’s barely uncommon for Barcelona, although, a membership that has rammed signings by way of the door for a number of years now, undeterred by precarious funds which have turned each switch window right into a chaotic sequence of sagas. The quieter technique is little doubt excellent news for anybody balancing Barcelona’s books, however additionally it is a sign that the membership imagine they’ve what it must compete in home and continental competitors once more this season – they usually might have a degree.
Barcelona’s success final season got here down mainly to Flick’s potential to work with gamers that have been already on the membership’s books, even when Dani Olmo ticked off all of the bins as their flashy new signing subsequent summer season and the topic of their newest dramatic switch. They coupled their home double with a run to the UEFA Champions League semifinals, one thing few individuals predicted for the crew in the beginning of the season. It places them in a singular place to keep up that momentum for one more marketing campaign, even when their quiet switch technique doesn’t reply all their issues.
Do Barcelona have already got what they want?
The story of Barcelona’s success final season revolves round three totally different gamers, every with their very own trajectory to the highest – Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.
Yamal’s star was on the rise earlier than Flick was employed and has already confirmed to be a generational expertise, one who would excel on a person degree whatever the circumstances. He’s emblematic of Barcelona’s best energy, even amidst the monetary destroy that has turned one in every of Europe’s high golf equipment into a large number – their academy. Barcelona’s monetary hardships in recent times meant Flick’s predecessor, Xavi, needed to lean closely on graduates of La Masia, a number of of whom additionally performed a large function in final season’s double. Pedri and Gavi have handed by way of Barcelona’s academy, as has middle again Pau Cubarsi.
Lewandowski, in the meantime, is without doubt one of the best aim scorers of his era, and despite the fact that he’s in his post-peak years, his pure expertise is effectively documented. His reunion with Flick, with whom he received the Champions League in 2020 with Bayern Munich, is as a lot an indication of the Poland worldwide’s strengths as it’s Flick’s. Lewandowski’s kind trended upwards within the 2024-25 marketing campaign after an underwhelming 2023-24 season, scoring 42 targets in 52 video games as Barcelona received the double.
Flick’s best success story, although, is Raphinha. The Brazil worldwide was as soon as a sign that Barcelona’s glory days have been behind them when he joined the membership from Leeds United in 2022, however nearly in a single day, he turned one in every of Barcelona’s high performers final season, scoring 34 targets in 57 video games and certain placing himself within the dialog for the Ballon d’Or. Flick moved Raphinha from the wings to a extra central function, rapidly getting the very best out of him and demonstrating that regardless of their flaws, the crew had what it took to be one in every of Europe’s finest sides.
Might Barcelona contend for the treble once more?
The shock of Barcelona’s upward trajectory final season was largely a response to their juxtaposition with Actual Madrid a yr in the past. Whereas they struggled to get Olmo’s switch over the road, Madrid have been busy lining up Kylian Mbappe and launching a brand new period of the Galacticos. Appears to be like have been most actually deceiving this time a yr in the past, although, and there’s little to point {that a} seismic shift will happen in home competitors for the upcoming marketing campaign.
Barcelona are betting large that final season’s core will get the job completed once more this time round, although the brand new signings may supply further sources. Rashford and Bardghji will probably be counted on to create and rating targets, although the truth that Barcelona are already stacked with impactful attackers implies that their performances are unlikely to make or break the crew’s hopes. That’s excellent news for the 19-year-old Bardghji, who may have time to regulate to the calls for at a membership like Barcelona, whereas the strain on the 27-year-old Rashford is extra in regards to the trajectory of his personal profession reasonably than carrying the crew on his again.
The query is that if Flick and firm captured magic in a bottle final season or if it is a sustainable strategy for the foreseeable future, a question that’s most likely extra related to their hopes of profitable the Champions League for the reason that dynamic in Spain is totally different. Actual Madrid are nonetheless a perennial contender in home competitors and have improved the roster, each with new signings like Trent Alexander-Arnold and new discoveries like Gonzalo Garcia. Their run to the Membership World Cup semifinals, although, demonstrated that there’s nonetheless loads of imbalance in Los Blancos’ squad, an issue that would take new supervisor Xabi Alonso time to resolve.
The massive unknown of La Liga’s upcoming marketing campaign is that if Atletico Madrid will muster an actual problem. They have been within the title race at occasions final season and have been within the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, which has paved the way in which for a busy summer season that features signing Alex Baena from Villarreal and U.S. worldwide Johnny Cardoso from Actual Betis. The continuity from final season to this one, although, implies that Barcelona are the favorites to win the title with a couple of weeks to go till opening day.
Barcelona’s protection nonetheless raises questions
For all of Barcelona’s strengths, Flick’s crew basically lived and died by the sword en path to the home double and will not have improved in that regard The supervisor prefers to play with an entertaining excessive line however it’s a technique that left Barcelona defensively susceptible at occasions final season, maybe as a result of the crew doesn’t have the personnel to enrich this model of play.
That was particularly obtrusive in aim. Wojciech Szczesny was a simpler fill-in than Inaki Pena after Marc-Andre ter Stegen sustained a knee damage that saved him out for a lot of final season, however Szczesny was error-prone. Flick appears more likely to transfer on from ter Stegen, even earlier than the German goalkeeper pulled up with a again damage that can preserve him out for 3 months, with Garcia now the obvious new No. 1 at Barcelona. The previous Espanyol goalkeeper, although, is the one new signing Barcelona have made in protection, although, elevating questions on whether or not or not Flick’s facet can have the resolve they want within the again or if outsourcing the opposition will probably be their essential technique for subsequent season.
