The new perspective that FC Barcelona has regarding the signing of a pivot

The FC Barcelona had as one of its main priorities in the summer transfer market of the 2024-25 season the signing of a player who could perform as a central midfielder and adapt to very specific characteristics. They were looking for a pivot with a dynamic profile, as despite having a large number of young and talented midfielders, most of them perform better in the final third of the field than in the base of the midfield.

Therefore, from the City of Barcelona, they demanded a central midfielder with good offensive tools and creativity to carry the ball from defense to attack. However, in addition to this, they also had to have solid physical and defensive capabilities to provide balance in the center of the field.

The main problem that Barcelona faced in strengthening the pivot area

In this sense, there were numerous names that were rumored to reinforce the pivot position in the club. However, several of the options that interested Barcelona ended up signing for other teams, such as Amadou Onana, who moved from Everton to Aston Villa, or Mikel Merino, who joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad. Likewise, some 'top' alternatives, like Joshua Kimmich from Bayern Munich or Martín Zubimendi from the 'Txuri-urdin' squad, were not economically feasible. Therefore, the incorporation of a pivot ended up being put on the back burner.

However, this did not prevent the reinforcement of the position. Hansi Flick, showing a deep understanding of the institution and La Masia's youth academy, decided to strengthen the position with two players from La Masia: Marc Casadó, with a bit more experience in the first team, and Marc Bernal, a riskier bet. Although these decisions seemed daring at first, they have proven to be positive for the German coach so far.

Despite this, there is still uncertainty about whether FC Barcelona, despite the notable emergence of these two young players in the midfield, will continue to seek to reinforce the position with a more experienced pivot. Additionally, the long-term injury of Marc Bernal (tear in the anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee with external meniscus involvement) has also raised the possibility that the club will seek additional reinforcement in the January 2025 winter transfer market.

Barcelona would no longer be aiming to sign a central midfielder in the near future

Although, for now, the idea of signing a central midfielder seems to be off the table. According to the sports newspaper 'SPORT,' Hansi Flick believes that the central midfielder position is currently well covered and is reluctant to bring in a player who could hinder Marc Bernal's progress in the future. It should be noted that it is expected that the player from Berga, who many are positioning as the 'new Busquets,' will fully recover from his injury by the 2025-26 season.

In the same line of argument, it is asserted from the aforementioned source that Hansi Flick plans to move forward with the players already available at home to strengthen the position, with Marc Casadó as the current starter, supported, for example, by Eric García. It is also highlighted that Frenkie de Jong will be a valuable asset once he is fully fit, and players like Pablo Gavi or Andreas Christensen can also be important to strengthen the midfield in Barcelona's sporting project.