Alejandro Balde shares first impressions of Barcelona signing Karim Adeyemi | OneFootball

The fullback Alejandro Balde is one of the FC Barcelona players for whom the current preseason is particularly important. He lost his starting spot on the left-back position last season with the arrival of Joao Cancelo, and with the Portuguese fullback not yet having been signed by the Blaugranes for the next season, the Spaniard will have to work to convince Hansi Flick to give him back his place in the starting eleven.

At this point in time, the defender is not training with the rest of his teammates, as he is following a specific training plan. However, he continues to work in England, where the Catalan side has organized a training camp at the Saint George’s Park training facilities.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, Balde appeared in an interview with the official YouTube channel of FC Barcelona, and among other things, talked about the new signing, Karim Adeyemi. The Spaniard revealed one aspect of the German forward that has impressed him the most:

“He hasn’t been here long, but in the short time he has been here, I’ve spoken to him quite a bit. I think we’ve built a good relationship. He seems like a calm guy. I hope he can help us a lot during the season, and I’m sure he will. He’s very fast. He’s a player I’ve known about for a long time, and I’ve been impressed by just how quick he is.”

Furthermore, the Barcelona defender also highlighted the individual and team goals that he will be looking to fulfill next season:

“On an individual level, I want to keep improving and keep learning. I’m still a very young player, and I have a lot of room for improvement. Those are my main goals. As a team, we want to continue on the path we’re on, or even do better. And if we can win more trophies, even better.”

Another highlight of this interview was Balde mentioning Marc Casadó, Lamine Yamal, Héctor Fort, Gavi, Roony Bardghji, and Ronald Araujo as some of his close friends in the dressing room, and revealing that his favorite goal in a Barcelona shirt was the one he scored against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.

As he himself mentioned, Alejandro Balde is keen to improve even further as a player, and in this crucial phase of his career, it will be imperative for him to regain his best form to continue playing regularly every week for Barcelona. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to convince Hansi Flick to give him this prominence next season.