Latest news with #PauVictor
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Barcelona's Clown Car Era Just Struck Gold - But How Long Can It Last?
MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 26: Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona runs with the ball during the LaLiga match ... More between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 26, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by) This summer's most important deal between a soccer player and club is not a transfer. Sure, a contract might cost an eye-watering $270 million, but the truth is that Lamine Yamal, on his current trajectory, is worth every penny to FC Barcelona. And signing the world's most exciting young player for the long term is of incalculable significance. The remarkable thing about the six-year deal is that the young Catalan will still have his peak years ahead of him when it expires. Barely old enough to obtain basic legal rights in most countries, Yamal has become the key player for club and country, shining on the biggest stages, from international finals to Champions League semis. As Barcelona sporting director Deco told local media outlet RAC1, this was the club's most important deal. 'The best signing to do in summer? Lamine Yamal signing a new contract,' he said. 'We are on the right track with it. I want him to win a Ballon d'Or with Barca.' His words were echoed by Barcelona forward Pau Victor in an interview with Diario Sport. 'We all know about his quality, what he brings. He is the best signing that can be made, he is a differential player and with the age he is, nothing like him has ever been seen,' he said. 'Being able to enjoy it for more years is special. It's very easy to play with him, he's very balanced, three players can come to him and he won't lose the ball. 'It's a joy to play with him, also with Raphinha or Lewandowski. Obviously I see him winning the Ballon d'Or, I hope he, Raphinha or Pedri win it.' That Barcelona might have three players in contention for soccer's most prestigious individual honor is remarkable considering where the club was just a year ago. Club legend Xavi Hernandez looked stressed as he headed out the exit door, having overseen a trophy-less season and sparse improvement on a side that looked far from Europe's elite. His replacement, Hansi Flick, arrived to find an unbalanced squad that lacked a clear identity. But it is to the German's immense credit that in just one season, he has transformed the team into double winners who were mere minutes from a Champions League final. As the club said in a statement announcing Flick's contract renewal last week: 'Hansi Flick has made Barca fans happy in his first season for many reasons: for the belief he has given to the team, for the epic comebacks and for the trophies. 'The excitement that the German has brought to the club in his first year in charge has made FC Barcelona a feared rival once again in Europe.' However, whether Joan Laporta or the Barcelona hierarchy deserves the credit for this remarkable turnaround is another matter. BARCELONA, SPAIN - JULY 25: New FC Barcelona Head Coach Hansi Flick (R) and Joan Laporta, President ... More of FC Barcelona pose for a photo during a press conference atat Spotify Camp Nou on July 25, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by) Laporta's strategy has always been a 'speculate to accumulate' model, where big-name transfers are chased to create both the interest and revenue needed to cover the substantial outlays. Since his return as club president five years ago, FC Barcelona has embarked on a series of ill-fated transfer splurges funded by mortgaging future revenues. Due to the talent turnover, the club repeatedly struggled to comply with La Liga's strict financial rules and faced embarrassing problems registering players. But amid such chaos, La Masia, the club's legendary academy, has delivered a crop of players worthy of challenging the Pep Guardiola or Johann Cruyff eras of Barcelona. This generation of talent could become legendary from Pedri and Gavi to Yamal and Pau Cubarsí. For Barcelona to have uncovered such riches while pursuing a dangerous strategy is somewhat surreal. It brings to mind a famous line that Mark Zuckerberg reportedly used to describe rival social network Twitter, which was flourishing despite some strange decision-making. '[Twitter is] such a mess,' the Facebook founder once told close friends, 'it's as if they drove a clown car into a gold mine and fell in.' It's an analogy that perfectly describes the situation at Barcelona, which has at least realized its greatest assets lie in its homegrown stars and focuses on contract renewals. As Deco said in the RAI interview: 'We can't talk too much about other players because, to me, it's much more important to improve with what we already have at the club. 'The key of the project is to give stability to that same group of players.' Laporta made big bets on future success that will eat into Barcelona's revenue should things not go as planned. And it will be fascinating to see whether the club can deliver on the promise it has shown this year. For all the excitement the side generated in its exhilarating 4-3 and 3-3 clashes with Inter Milan in the Champions League, a more streetwise Barcelona wouldn't have let such chaos reign and would have controlled the games better. The apparent explanation is an increased need for experience among the ranks. But hiring the correct players to provide that is not easy. It must certainly be better than the scattergun approach that has defined the Laporta 2.0 era so far. Because, well, it's only really possible to crash a clown car into a gold mine once.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
FC Barcelona Puts Two Title Winners On Transfer List
FC Barcelona has put two members of its Spanish treble winning squad of 2024/2025 on the transfer ... More market to be sold according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources. FC Barcelona has put two members of its Spanish treble winning squad of 2024/2025 on the transfer market to be sold according to SPORT, which cited anonymous sources. With said campaign finishing less than a week ago, the Catalans are already looking to move certain players on, which will help bring in fresh faces to join Hansi Flick's outfit. Once talked up as the future of the club and given Lionel Messi's number 10 shirt when the Argentine departed for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, Ansu Fati looks like he could also be on his way to France in the coming weeks. COPE reported that he has agreed to join AS Monaco, as part of a loan deal that will come with an option to buy the former Spain international outright. Over at SPORT, the Catalan newspaper explains that the potential exits of two more players are being prepared too. They are namely midfielder Pablo Torre and Pau Victor, who like Fati struggled for regular minutes last term and might be better off with a change of scenery. As already detailed, there is an 'overbooking' in midfield with regards to Torre, who is way down the pecking order of a list of eight players for three positions which also includes Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Marcs Casado and Bernal, Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez. He has offers in Spain, France and Germany, but Barca needs to get it right by first making sure Torre extends his contract. With the 22-year-old out of contract on June 30, 2026, Barca needs to make sue it doesn't lose him for free around 13 months for now and especially to a club that can take him on loan first. Pau Victor is in a three horse race with Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres for the number 9 spot, and he has proposals to enjoy more prominence than on Flick's watch from Spanish teams including Real Betis, Celta, Valencia, Sevilla and Mallorca. According to SPORT, FC Barcelona expects to sell each player for around $5.7 million (€5 million) but it is also getting their salaries off the books which will help with Financial Fair Play. Furthermore, it will be wise to make sure any outgoing transfers include buyback clauses.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
FC Barcelona Has Two New Signings For Preseason
FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick will have what Catalan press outlets such as SPORT essentially dubbed two new 'signings' for the 2025/2026 preseason campaign. When taking over the reins from fired club legend Xavi Hernandez last summer, Flick took advantage of many of his international players being at Euro 2024 or the Copa America to familiarise himself with the club's young players. Many of them were taken on the preseason tour of the United States which brought about friendly meetings with the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City, and this development saw Pau Victor, Marc Casado and Marc Bernal promoted permanetly to the first team off the back of impressive performances. While Pau Victor took a backseat to striker Robert Lewandowski on the bench, the two Marcs became Flick's starting choices in a double pivot in midfield, which was cruelly broken up when Bernal suffered an ACL rupture and was ruled out for the rest of the campaign. While Bernal is expected to return to the fold and provide positional rivalry to Frenkie de Jong with Casado, Flick has repeated his method by deciding that two La Masia prospects will train with the seniors when it's time to get back to work. Namely they are Pedro Fernandez, known as 'Dro', and Juan Hernandez. While both players had already been training with the first team last week, they did not go to San Mames to form part of the squad that beat Athletic Club 3-0 on the last day of a domestic treble-winning La Liga season. Both promises are capable of playing as false 9's or on the left wing, and are simultaneously talked up as playmakers. Should they impress, it is likely they will be taken on Barca's next foreign tour with Jofre Torrents, a left back, another candidate to have a plan ticket in July. Though it has enjoyed preseason friendlies on American soil for the past couple of summers, FC Barcelona is expected to head to the Far East in 2025. As explained by Barca Universal, citing anonymous sources, Barca could head to Morocco for a match before then flying to Japan and South Korea around July 24.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Predicted Teams Barcelona-Villarreal: Two players to start on final home appearance
Barcelona play their penultimate match of the 2024-25 season on Sunday as they host Villarreal at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. It should also be their final fixture at the stadium, with the idea being for the first team to return to the Spotify Camp Nou for the start of the next campaign. Having already won the La Liga title, there is little for Barcelona to play for. But there will still be a desire for the Catalans to win, although Hansi Flick is expected to make a number of changes from the 2-0 victory at Espanyol on Thursday. Barcelona planning seven changes from Espanyol victory As per Sport, Barcelona are expected to make seven changes from the side that started at the RCDE Stadium. Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Hector Fort, Gavi, Marc Casado, Fermin Lopez, Pau Victor and Ansu Fati are set to start against Villarreal, replacing Wojciech Szczesny, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. Diario Sport's predicted line-ups for Barcelona's La Liga fixture against Villarreal (Image via Diario Sport) The match is expected to be especially poignant for Victor, who is planning to leave Barcelona this summer. And the same can be said for Fati, who is not in Hansi Flick's plans for next season. Three changes expected by Villarreal Villarreal are competing for Champions League qualification, so there is a lot more on the line for them on Sunday. They are favourites to finish inside the top five, but a defeat to Barcelona could affect their chances. As for their line-up, it is believed that they will make three changes from the midweek victory over Leganes: Kiko Femenia, Sergi Cardona and Santi Comesana for Pau Navarro, Alfonso Pedraza and Dani Parejo. Barcelona are likely to be considered as underdogs for this one considering they have nothing to play for, and Villarreal most definitely do. But regardless, it should be an interesting match at the Estadi Olimpic.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wantaway Barcelona forward emerges as target for Bayer Leverkusen
According to a report from SPORT, it has been learned that Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen are eyeing a move for Barcelona forward Pau Victor. The 23-year-old has decided to seek regular game time next season, prompting interest from several clubs across Spain and now Germany. Advertisement Victor has enjoyed a decent spell at Barça Atletic and eventually caught the attention of the senior coaching staff. This season, he rejected offers to leave during the January window, believing in his chances to earn minutes and to some extent, he was proven right, as he did feature more regularly in the second half of the season, albeit in a substitute role. However, the outlook for next season looks more complex. Things look bleak for Pau Victor at Barcelona Barcelona are expected to reinforce their attacking department this summer, which could make things even more difficult for Victor to break through. Advertisement With fierce competition for places and Barça's need to balance the books, several young players could be moved on either permanently or on loan, and Victor is one of them. Pau Victor is likely to leave Barcelona. (Photo by) While La Liga sides like Betis, Celta Vigo and Mallorca have shown interest, their approach has mostly revolved around potential loan deals. Bayer Leverkusen, on the other hand, appear more proactive and could offer the player a more convincing project. Set to be under a new leader The German club is preparing for major changes following Xabi Alonso's departure, and although the potential arrival of Cesc Fabregas as manager remains uncertain, Leverkusen's interest in Victor stands regardless of who takes over on the bench. Advertisement Barcelona are open to multiple options, as they would be happy for him to continue at the club if he believes in the project, but are also willing to entertain serious offers, be it a loan or permanent transfer. For the player, this could be a pivotal summer. At 23, he needs regular minutes to continue developing, and Leverkusen could offer him not just minutes, but also exposure to European competition and a more competitive environment. The final decision will rest with the player himself, but with interest mounting and the transfer window approaching, Barcelona may be forced to make a call soon.
