Progress report – How are Barcelona’s four loanees faring away from the club this season? | OneFootball

Barcelona’s summer transfer window was not as exciting as many expected it to be, but the club did manage to solidify certain key positions for the long term by signing Roony Bardghji and Joan Garcia.

The departures front, however, was more eventful with the Catalans prioritising sales and loan departures to return to the financial 1:1 rule. Four players, in that regard, left on loan.

With over a quarter of the season now past us, the time is right to review the progress of players who left seeking minutes for development.

After all, they all dream of a return to the club someday, and it is clear that Joan Laporta and Co. are maintaining a keen eye on their progress.

Ansu Fati

There has always been a special place for Ansu Fati in Barcelona, given his history at the club and the fact that he was one of the first players from his batch to leave a mark in the first team.

Ansu has shown signs of promise at Monaco. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Last season, Flick counted on him and gave him a place in the squad. It did not translate to many minutes, however, pushing the player to leave on loan and regain his prominence with regular minutes.

So far at AS Monaco, Fati has been in stellar form. He did not initially earn his place in the team’s dynamics and was made to work on his fitness extensively before being handed a debut. Since his first appearance, however, he has looked promising.

The La Masia graduate already has six goals for his club, including five in the domestic league – all in just eight appearances.

Things have become a bit complicated for Ansu since Sebastien Pocognoli took over as manager. But he has announced to the world that he still can be decisive and that his fitness can be repaired.

Hector Fort

Hector Fort (L) on loan at Elche. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

The young right-back left Barcelona on deadline day in the recent summer transfer window and signed for Elche – a club that plays a very similar style of football to Barcelona.

Coached by Eder Sarabia, Elche also employ a high defensive line and which helps Fort hone his skills for a potential return home, which is not ruled out.

So far, the young talent has played 127 minutes for Elche with one game as a starter. He is yet to score a goal or provide an assist, but he has looked solid in his few minutes.

Barcelona will hope the player sees more playing time as the weeks roll by for he needs as many minutes under his belt as he can get.

The upcoming rounds of the Copa del Rey, needless to say, could hand him the stage to prove his worth and demand a larger role.

Inaki Pena

Inaki Pena now a regular starter at Elche. (Picture credit: Elche official website)

Also at Elche, Barcelona’s homegrown goalkeeper Inaki Pena has had a positive spell so far and better luck with minutes than his peer, Hector Fort.

The 26-year-old has already made six starts for his new team and completed 540 minutes in La Liga with just eight goals conceded and a decent save percentage of 70%.

Pena averages 2.7 saves per game and 83% successful runs out – statistics that show that he is doing decently at a club that also plays a high defensive line.

While the success of Elche’s bold dynamics is questionable, Barcelona should be pleased with Pena’s prominence and progress.

Ander Astralaga

The final Barcelona player on loan away from the club is another youth goalkeeper – Ander Astralaga, who left the club for Granada in the second division in the summer.

So far, the academy graduate has started three games for the second-division side and has accumulated 270 minutes. He averages two goals conceded per game in the league, although he did do much better in his lone Copa del Rey start.

Currently, Astralaga is competing with Luca Zidane for a starting spot, and the latter is quite clearly the manager’s preferred option. Astralaga, thus, is likely to continue and finish the season as a backup option with sparse minutes.