Report – The main reason why Barcelona merged first team and Barça Atletic structures | OneFootball

Last week, FC Barcelona approved a key overhaul of their sporting structure by bringing the first team and Barça Atletic under a unified framework.

The decision, green-lighted by the club’s board, is designed to improve player development, increase coordination across all levels, and better protect the club’s most promising young talents, reports SPORT.

A unified football project

The restructuring is not intended to give sporting director Deco more authority. Instead, it aims to create a more integrated football department, with Deco working alongside Joao Amaral, Jose Ramon Alexanko, and Andres Manzano in overseeing player development.

The goal is to make Barça Atletic a true extension of the first team rather than operating as a separate branch focused primarily on youth development.

Under the new model, every player who signs with Barcelona after turning 16 will receive an individual development plan monitored directly by the sporting department.

Greater responsibility for Deco. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Since players can only sign three-year youth contracts at that age, the club wants continuous oversight of their progress before they become eligible to sign professional deals at 18.

Barcelona hope this approach will prevent situations similar to that of Dro, who left for Paris Saint-Germain at 18 for just over €8 million despite being viewed internally as a future first-team player.

The Blaugrana also see this as a way to better protect its academy talent from interest from Premier League clubs and PSG.

Developing players and increasing their value

Barcelona want Barça Atletic to become a platform for producing first-team footballers while also maximizing the value of players who may eventually be sold.

Barcelona want to keep their prospects within Barça Atletic whenever possible, allowing the club to oversee their progress more closely.

The new system will also benefit signings brought in specifically for the reserve team, such as Ibrahim Diarra, who is viewed as a long-term investment.

Flick and Belletti to use same training methods

More co-ordination between Belletti and Flick. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

The restructuring also affects daily football operations. Hansi Flick’s first team and Juliano Belletti’s Barça Atletic will now follow the same physical workloads, training methods, and tactical principles.

The objective is to ensure that players moving between the two squads can adapt seamlessly without needing to adjust to different coaching philosophies or physical demands.

Barcelona also believe this consistency could help reduce injuries caused by differing training loads between the two teams.

The club openly acknowledges that earning promotion for Barça Atlètic is now a major priority.

Competing at a higher level would reduce the gap between the reserve team and the first team, making it easier for young players to transition into Hansi Flick’s squad when opportunities arise.