Barcelona midfielder ready to fight for his place in team, tells agents not to listen to offers | OneFootball

If there is one area of the pitch where Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is spoilt for choice, it is the midfield. The German coach can field two starting-quality midfields and still have a piece left over once the young Marc Bernal is fully fit.

Pedri and Frenkie de Jong appear to be untouchable in Flick’s starting lineup, while Fermin Lopez started as the No. 10 in the La Liga opener vs Mallorca.

It meant three other top-quality midfielders – Gavi, Dani Olmo, and Marc Casado – were left on the bench, of which two got an opportunity in the second half.

Indeed, Casado was the midfielder who was left as an unused substitute by Flick.

Casado understands the challenge, prepared to fight

Now, according to SPORT, Casado knows he will have to fight for minutes this season and accepts the challenge.

Casado was an unused substitute vs Mallorca. (Photo by Paul Miller/Getty Images)

After a slightly turbulent summer, in which talk of a potential departure surfaced more than once (with Barça and the player’s entourage receiving offers), the La Masia graduate now realises how difficult it will be to earn minutes at his club.

However, Casado is a player who has always given everything for Barça. As such, he has made it clear to his agents that they should not entertain outside proposals, particularly from the Premier League, where several clubs, including Chelsea, have shown interest.

While he might not have gotten any minutes against Mallorca, soon Barcelona will start playing two matches per week, at which point Flick will have to rotate his troops, and Casado is bound to get some minutes.

The midfielder understands that the outlook at the start of 2025/26 is far tougher for him compared to last season, when he became an untouchable in Flick’s plans following Bernal’s ACL injury.

But Casado is willing to dig in and fight for his place.