Hansi Flick provides update on Barcelona striker search – “Deco is doing a great job” | OneFootball

Barcelona rounded out their pre-season schedule on Wednesday with a narrow 2-1 victory over Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy. It was a good atmosphere at the Spotify Camp Nou, as new signings Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Rodri were paraded before a well-deserved win.

After the match, head coach Hansi Flick spoke to the media (via MD) on a variety of topics, with one of them being Rodri. He admitted that he is very much looking forward to working with the 2026 World Cup Golden Ball winner.

“Rodri in the World Cup showed that he was one of the best, he gave structure to the team, he organizes the game well, he can decide whether to play faster or slower. He is a leader.”

Flick, who also confirmed that Barcelona are “looking for that striker” and that “Deco is doing a great job” in his search, had his say on the only natural striker in his squad: Hamza Abdelkarim. The Egyptian teenager ended his impressive pre-season on a high with the opening goal against former club Al Ahly, and his overall performance was assessed by his manager.

“Hamza is a good striker. We can see it when he attacks crosses. Today I saw him holding the ball, which is good. This is what I want to see from him.”

Flick on Elche clash: Only victory counts

Flick also looked ahead to Sunday’s La Liga opener against Elche, which will be a stern test for the defending champions.

“On Sunday only victory in Elche counts. They are playing well, but we have to be ready. It won’t be easy, many players have arrived last week and we have to manage minutes. But I liked the team today, we have the potential to improve. We have quality, a fantastic team and we have to manage it because we are already on our heads at the start of the season.”