Hansi Flick pleased with Barcelona academy talents’ progress during pre-season | OneFootball

As FC Barcelona continue to navigate the transfer market, with both arrivals and departures still possible, manager Hansi Flick is using pre-season to assess the club’s internal options.

The first two weeks of training at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper allowed the German coach to closely evaluate several academy players.

And, according to Mundo Deportivo, the manager is more than pleased with what he has seen from the youth prospects and the depth that they can provide in the squad.

Now, the training camp in England provides another opportunity to judge their readiness for first-team football.

Friday’s friendly against Birmingham City is expected to offer further insight into Flick’s plans for the youngsters.

With certain areas of the squad potentially requiring reinforcement depending on future departures, several academy players have strengthened their cases for increased involvement.

Options in midfield

Brian Farinas has impressed Flick. (Photo courtesy: X/FCBarcelonaB)

Frenkie de Jong’s injury could leave Barcelona short of midfield options, while Marc Casado’s future also remains uncertain. But the club are not planning to sign a replacement and could turn to the academy for replacements.

Brian Farinas has become one of the strongest examples of the academy’s importance. A move to Girona had been virtually agreed, but his performances during pre-season have prompted the club to reconsider.

Flick is now seriously contemplating keeping him as part of the first-team squad. Meanwhile, Tommy Marques is another midfielder who has impressed and remains under consideration.

Defensive solutions

Meanwhile, in defence, Barcelona continue to await the arrival of Joao Cancelo, who is expected to join after the England training camp concludes. Even then, competition for the full-back positions could remain fluid.

Jofre Torrents, who also travelled on last summer’s tour of Japan and South Korea, is one of the players attracting Flick’s attention as a left-back option.

On the right, Hector Fort is aiming to revive his Barcelona career following his loan spell at Elche. Flick appreciates his attacking qualities, although defensive concentration remains an area for improvement.

Hector Fort wants to stay. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images)

Xavi Espart is also competing for opportunities at right-back, although he is naturally a midfielder, and played in that role during Spain’s successful Under-19 European Championship campaign.

Meanwhile, with Barcelona continuing their search for a central defender, Alvaro Cortes has emerged as another strong academy candidate.

Searching for goals

The centre-forward position remains Barcelona’s biggest priority in the transfer market.

Regardless of whether the pursuit of Julian Alvarez succeeds or another signing arrives, Flick is paying close attention to academy forwards such as Oscar Gistau and Hamza Abdelkarim.

The arrivals of Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi have significantly strengthened Barcelona’s wide attacking options, leaving the squad well stocked on the wings and in attacking midfield.

Even so, Flick continues to assess the younger players available to him. The likes of Ibrahim Diarra, Ebrima Tunkara and winger Alex Gonzalez have made strong impressions during training.

Goalkeeper decision still pending

Barcelona have a clear hierarchy in the goalkeeping department, but the third-choice position remains unoccupied.

Following Diego Kochen’s departure, Aron Yaakobishvili has emerged as a realistic candidate after returning from his loan spell at Andorra.