Barça has a lot of worries for next summer. One of them, although surely not the most important, revolves around the situation of those on loan. Abde has the numbers to return and, at least, do the preseason under Xavi’s orders. But the situation of Lenglet, Dest and Nico it’s very different. None of the three is having success in Tottenham, Milan and Valencia respectively and it seems difficult for them to continue in their current teams. Of the three, only Nico has any chance of gaining Xavi’s trust.
Tottenham’s Antonio Conte He was knocked out of the Champions League this Wednesday and the Italian coach admitted after the KO that his future may be far from the London club. From England they point out that the Spurs they will undergo a profound renewal in summer, something that would harm the French defender. Clément has enjoyed the confidence of Conte, but it is unknown if the new coach will bet on him.
It must be remembered that the transfer of the defender did not include a fixed purchase option. This, together with the fact that the performance of Lenglet has been correct but not outstanding, distances the club from buying the player. First, because the entity can study other options that are more convincing. And, second, because it will be necessary to see if the new coach bets on the Frenchman, whose desire would be to continue at Tottenham.
Sergiño Dest will not continue at Milan. The winger has not achieved the continuity that he was looking for in the Lombard team and will return to Barcelona at the end of the season. It will be necessary to see if the American solves his future before the preseason culé -several teams have already asked about him- or if he starts training under the orders of Xavi, whom he will have very difficult to convince.
Barça will look at Nico with a magnifying glass
the one of Nico is the most complex case. After his last injury, the midfielder has already recovered from his mishap in the fifth metatarsal of his foot and now will face two months of examination in order to be able to return or not to Barça next season. Nico, who so far in 2023 has not yet had minutes, is confident of having a relevant role with Rubén Baraja in front of the defense.
Facing Nico’s future as a culé, what happens with Busquets and the fair play from Barcelona. If the man from Badía leaves and the young midfielder performs at a good level between now and the end of the course, the Catalan club could give him the opportunity in the defensive pivot. At least, as a real alternative, something that has not happened to date. If Busquets renews or the club manages to sign a pivot -call him Zubimendi, Amrabat or Neves-, then it is more difficult to imagine Nico in Barça’s first team.
