GOOD TEAM DESPITE NOT HAVING ALMOST SIGNED

Young and hungry squad! The 1x1 of the FC Barcelona squad after the transfer window closed

Published:31/08/2024 - 07:34h

Updated:31/08/2024 - 07:35h

FC Barcelona's squad for the 2024-2025 season is set. In a transfer market marked by problems with financial fair play, the Catalans managed to put together a team that combines experience with youth and that inspires under the guidance of Hansi Flick

The 2024 summer transfer market came to an end last Friday, August 30, without any news from FC Barcelona. The Blaugrana club reached the last day of the summer window without the necessary salary margin to be able to assume the signing of a new player. The Catalans were unable to close the renewal with Nike in time and this prevented the return to the 1/1 rule, which is why the culé squad is closed until January 1. In winter, the landing of some reinforcement is not ruled out if the new deal with the North American multinational is finally signed, although again everything would depend on the salary space.

In the same way, the 'exit operation' also did not see any last-minute movement. The complicated situation of the squad, 'punished' by injuries and the impossibility of signing, caused the sports management, led by Hansi Flick, to bet on the continuity of players such as Eric García or Ansu Fati, whose futures were in question for a good part of the summer. The German coach will therefore have the following players at his disposal:

Goalkeeping

Marc-André Ter Stegen will continue to be the owner of the Blaugrana goal. The German goalkeeper will also face a very special season on a personal level, since after the departure of Sergi Roberto, he will be the one to wear the captain's armband of the first team. The German will be accompanied by an increasingly established Iñaki Peña as second goalkeeper and Ander Astralaga, who showed in the preseason that he has what it takes to take charge of the Barça goal in the future.

Defence

In defence, the Catalans managed to solve the 'overbooking' of centre-backs with the departures of Clément Lenglet and Mika Faye, with Pau Cubarsí, Ronald Araújo, Iñigo Martínez, Eric García and Andreas Christensen as the available players for Flick in the position. With the Uruguayan and Dane out with long-term injuries, the 17-year-old academy player and the Basque defender have established themselves as Flick's starting duo in the first few LaLiga games.

On the wings, with Joao Cancelo's return to Barcelona not being able to materialise, Jules Koundé and Héctor Fort will be the German's options on the right wing. On the left, everything indicates that Alejandro Balde will be an undisputed part of the German's scheme once he has recovered from the injury that kept him off the pitch during the final stretch of last season, backed up by Gerard Martín who managed to make a place for himself in the team as a substitute for the '3'. Finally, Sergi Domínguez and Andrés Cuenca complete the list of defenders in the squad, having been registered with the reserve team.

The midfield

The Barça midfield has been completely renovated compared to last season. The departures of Ilkay Gündogan and Oriol Romeu, together with the 'irruption' of Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal, mean a freshening of the midfield. However, the tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and the meniscus in the left knee of the latter was a hard blow for the club, which was unable to bring in a reinforcement for the position due to problems with the salary cap.

However, on a more positive note, the signing of Dani Olmo gives a significant leap in quality to the position. The player from Egar will form a 'dream' duo with Pedri, taking charge of the playmaking for the Blaugranas. Meanwhile, Frenkie de Jong and Gavi will be two luxury 'signings' for Flick once they recover from their respective injuries, while the 'explosion' of Fermín López at the Olympic Games positions him as a more than interesting alternative in Hansi's team. Finally, Pablo Torre will look to make a place for himself in the German squad, who showed his confidence in the Cantabrian during the preseason

The forward

Lamine Yamal faces the new season as the great star, not only in attack, but in the Blaugrana team. The young Catalan star established himself as one of the players of the moment after his great Euro Cup and will lead the Barcelona offense accompanied by Robert Lewandowski who hopes to return to his best version with Flick. Since he cannot close the arrival of a left winger, everything points to Raphinha taking charge of the position, especially after having been chosen as one of the captains of the first team, which indicates that he could have more weight in the current campaign.

Ferran Torres will look to have a greater impact on the Blaugrana team from the bench, while Ansu Fati will begin his path to 'redemption' after his departure was ruled out by the Blaugrana board. Finally, Pau Victor is presented as one of the possible revelations of the season, hoping to maintain the great performance shown on the tour of the United States and which has led him to be considered as the natural substitute for 'Lewy'.