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He is on loan without an option to buy
Alex Valle fails to secure a starting spot on his 'Erasmus' at Celtic
After renewing his contract with FC Barcelona for two years and two optional years, the left-back went on loan to the Scottish club for one season without an option to buy.
Alex Valle played a total of 155 minutes in the three games of the American tour under Hansi Flick. He always played on the opposite side, as a right-back. In his natural position, the German coach opted for Balde as a starter, which was expected, and for Gerard Martín as a substitute. Thus, the player from Badalona had no choice but to look for a new destination and, after renewing for two years plus other optional contracts with Barça, he went on loan for one year, without an option to buy, to Celtic Glasgow.
At the end of August, FC Barcelona announced the extension of the player's contract and his loan to the Scottish team. Thus, he has been in the dynamics of the historic British team since the first day of September. There, he competes in his position with Greg Taylor, a national footballer who, after training in the lower categories of Rangers FC, arrived in the largest city in the country five years ago.
Third consecutive loan move
Álex Valle arrived at La Masía in 2014, aged 10. He went through the various lower categories, until reaching the reserve team in the 22/23 season. Under the guidance of Rafa Márquez, he played 19 games in the First Federation and 3 with the Juvenil A in the Youth League. Despite being an undisputed starter, he decided to go on loan to Andorra for six months. His loan to the Principality was not very profitable, as he only played 307 minutes spread over 7 games (44' per game) in the Second Division.
The following season he went on loan to Levante, also in the second division of Spanish football, to continue gaining experience. There he did manage to become a starter and played 2,310 minutes in 29 league games. Upon his return, Flick tried him out of position in pre-season, but opted to send him out on loan again. So, Celtic, managed by Brendan Rodgers, took him in to complement the left-back. Valle's growth is notable, as he left Barça Atlètic to debut in LaLiga Hypermotion, the following season he settled in that category and is now fighting for a place in the Scottish league, also playing in the Champions League.
This season he has played 793 minutes in 13 games, which generates an average of 61 minutes per game. His competitor, Greg Taylor, has accumulated 1,303, almost double, in 19 games, although his average of minutes is similar to that of the Catalan. The Barça loanee has 5 assists, 4 in the Premiership and 1 in the top European competition. Little by little, he is gaining experience and stripes, something that could translate into an opportunity next year at the club that trained him.