By Graham Ruthven
Signed from RB Leipzig in August, Barca have been in a position to register Olmo for the primary half of the season resulting from long-term accidents suffered by a variety of first workforce gamers. Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen and Marc-André ter Stegen’s misfortune primarily received Barcelona off the hook and Olmo might play.
Now, although, Araújo and Christensen are match once more and Barca can not use their accidents to register Olmo. It’s a real risk that the Euro 2024 winner may very well be compelled to look at the second half of the season from the sideline, though a variety of potential suitors, together with a number of within the Premier League, have been linked with a mortgage transfer.
All this highlights simply how fragile Barcelona’s place stays. Their progress is much from assured. Whereas the membership is undeniably in a greater place, on and off the pitch, now than it was even 12 months in the past, Barca are strolling a tightrope to remain aggressive on the prime of Spanish and European soccer. They may fall off at any time.
Olmo has settled shortly into Hansi Flick’s workforce. Harm has prevented the 26-year-old from enjoying greater than 628 league minutes this season, however Olmo has scored 5 instances in simply 11 appearances. He has proved himself as a very good match for one of the crucial thrilling and dynamic assaults within the recreation proper now.
Lamine Yamal is Barcelona’s creator in-chief with Robert Lewandowski the point of interest and Pedri the Andrés Iniesta inheritor who ties all the pieces collectively. Olmo, nevertheless, is the box-crashing auxiliary risk who provides Barca a unique dimension. Opponents usually have so many Barcelona attackers to mark and observe that Olmo incessantly finds house contained in the field.
At their finest, Barcelona are a pressure of nature, as they confirmed throughout a very spectacular run in October that noticed them rating eight targets in opposition to Bayern Munich and Actual Madrid in a single week. Flick’s high-intensity method has energised a workforce that had grown stale below Xavi Hernández final season.
Barca, nevertheless, have drastically misplaced momentum in latest weeks, profitable simply one in every of their final seven league video games. The two-1 dwelling defeat to Atlético Madrid earlier than the winter break noticed the Catalans lose prime spot within the desk with Flick’s aspect now third. The season might slip by means of Barcelona’s fingers in the event that they don’t get well their type quickly. Not having Olmo to select from gained’t assist issues.
Current reviews declare Barcelona have a sequence of concepts to lift funds. They hope to generate over €100m by means of the sale of VIP field seats for the renovated Camp Nou when it reopens later this yr. A brand new equipment deal will assist. A lot of gamers together with Araújo, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Pedri are additionally reportedly keen to signal new contracts on extra beneficial phrases for the membership.
In the meantime, Actual Madrid are lining up a transfer for Trent Alexander-Arnold after signing Kylian Mbappé in the summertime. Atlético Madrid additionally spent near €200m on transfers earlier than the 2024/25 season and are reaping the rewards as Julián Alvarez, Conor Gallagher, Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sørloth proceed to contribute.
La Masia is the factor Barcelona have that none of their rivals have and so the Catalans have made a degree of as soon as once more re-establishing the pathway between probably the most prolific academy in world soccer and the primary workforce – see Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Gavi, Marc Casadó, Alex Balde, Pau Cubarsí, Fermín López and others who’ve just lately damaged by means of.
And but it’s one other big-money switch that has landed Barcelona in hassle once more. Olmo’s return to the membership that gave him his footballing training as a teenager price Barca €55m in the summertime and it might price them an entire lot extra if they’re compelled to unregister him for the second half of the season when Flick might actually use the attacker to catch Atleti and Actual Madrid.
Not so way back, Barca gave the impression to be again. Emphatically so. They have been flying within the Champions League and LaLiga, have been continuing with the $1.6 billion renovation of Camp Nou and and regarded to have recovered from the fixed calamity of the previous few years. Now, the panorama is reasonably totally different and Olmo may very well be compelled out as an emblem of bungling Barcelona. Lionel Messi is aware of how he feels.
(Cowl picture from IMAGO)
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