Not everything was happiness in FC Barcelona's victory over Valencia, at least not for two players from the culé team. We are talking about Pablo Torre and Álex Valle, the young footballers from the reserve team who did not play a single minute at Mestalla, which opens the door to their possible departures from the Blaugrana team before the transfer market closes.
In a match where we saw three players under 18 years old starting from the starting 11 for the first time in the Spanish league in the 21st century (Lamine Yamal, Marc Bernal and Pau Cubarsí), the midfielder and left back were not taken into account by Hansi Flick. The situation is more critical if we take into account that footballers like Marc Bernal, Pau Víctor and Gerard Martín did make their debut in LaLiga.
Pablo Torre: From being a star to not being able to participate
In Pablo's case, the disappointment was somewhat greater, because he was the footballer who played the most minutes with Flick in the preseason. The Spaniard played as an attacking midfielder, a position that did not exist under Xavi Hernández and which indicated that he could perhaps have a place in the German coach's squad in the 2024/25 campaign.
But, despite his outstanding performances on the tour of the United States, the German coach did not bet on him in Valencia. The player was hoping to get minutes because Dani Olmo was not registered, Ilkay Gündogan was left off the list after a knock, Pedri was not a starter and Fermín was still on vacation, so it was his great opportunity to prove his worth, although he did not achieve his objective. Flick opted for Raphinha as a playmaker for Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres was on the left wing. Pablo was on the bench but did not play, something that Pedri did, who showed that he is at a high level.
Although he has been awarded the number 14, his future in Barcelona is at risk 12 days before the market closes. His contract with Barça is until 2026 and his salary cap is not high, but the club is open to any option at the moment. There are several first and second division clubs from the main leagues that are interested and could offer him continuity, so he could consider leaving in the next few days.
Alex Valle: One of Flick's 'discards'
Valle was another who was left on the bench against Valencia and could not debut in the First Division as other teammates did, especially Gerard Martín, who won his place and appeared on the left side of the defense, which is his natural position. If he plays on the second matchday, he will do so with number 29.
This means that the Blaugrana club has not reserved a number for him in the first team, as is also the case with Marc Bernal (26) and Gerard Martín (35). With the transfer market closing, Valle has a termination clause of only three million euros. This amount dropped from eight, after he did not automatically renew his contract with Barça before August 1. The next few days will be key for his future, because if Joao Cancelo arrives, it will mean the definitive farewell to his hopes of being in Flick's squad.