From being Flick's darling to living in ostracism at 18

BarcelonaMaking your debut with Barça's first team is the ultimate aspiration for any footballer developed at La Masia. However, transforming that ideal into a solid career is a privilege reserved for a select few. The influx of young prospects has turned access to the first team into a veritable competitive bottleneck. This context has fostered an increasingly common phenomenon: the premature departure of players from the reserve team in search of prominence and lucrative contracts that the club cannot always guarantee. Cases like those of Marc Guiu, Ilaix Moriba, Jordi Mboula, Sergio Gómez, and André Onana exemplify this trend. Pedro has now joined this trend. Dro Fernández, sidelined by Hansi Flick after announcing his intention to leave the club during the winter transfer window. At 18, he is all but certain to join Paris Saint-Germain, who will pay his €6 million release clause.

The Dro case, just one more on the list

The young Galician attacking midfielder was destined to be one of the great jewels of the Barça midfield. He arrived at Barça at 15 years old and was soon incorporated into the Juvenil A team after progressing through the Cadete category. His rapid adaptation and strong performances convinced the coaching staff and reinforced his prospects within La Masia. In the 2024-25 season, he won LaLiga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Youth League, a European competition in which he scored two goals. His quality did not go unnoticed, and Flick took a chance on him, giving him his debut with the first team in a friendly against Vissel Kobe, in which he even scored a goal. Two months later, he made the leap to official football, starting in a match against Real Sociedad. The coach himself publicly praised his development: "He is a great talent and a clear example of the fantastic work being done at La Masia." Expectations surrounding him were high. Pedri González himself also highlighted his qualities: "At Barça we have many talented players, but one I definitely like is Dro. He's very good, full of quality, everything seems to come easily to him." This praise reflected the confidence he inspired within the dressing room and the feeling that he could go far.

Despite high expectations, his role this season has diminished. With the first team, Dro has accumulated just 150 minutes of playing time. He hasn't been able to translate his potential into goals either at Barça Atlètic: 183 minutes played without any direct involvement in a goal. This lack of consistent playing time, coupled with particularly demanding competition, has decisively hampered his development.

This situation has led to a firm decision: Dro will leave. He has just turned 18, and Luis Enrique's PSG has taken advantage of the fact that Barça's sporting management hasn't made any decisive move to secure his future. Sources within the dressing room told ARA that Flick was the last to learn of this surprising outcome. Joan Laporta, Deco, and other members of the sporting commission had known for several days that the young talent would be leaving in exchange for a sum that would serve to plug holes mid-season, such as the guarantee that was signed in the summer to register players.

The Fernández cousins

Meanwhile, cousins ​​Toni and Guille Fernández, two promising youngsters who have occasionally featured under Flick, haven't quite taken off either. With six months to go before they turn 18, their development has slowed. Guille has played in 12 matches for Barça Atlètic this year, only four as a starter, accumulating 535 minutes. His tally of one goal and two assists is far from his performance last season in the Primera RFEF, where he played 32 matches, 22 as a starter, scoring seven goals and providing one assist. His role has diminished, as seen in the last match against Andratx, where he didn't play a single minute and the player ended up dejected.

His cousin Toni is also going through an adaptation phase. This season he has played 13 matches in the Segunda RFEF (Spanish Second Division), scoring three goals and providing two assists, and made his first start for the first team against Girona, although he was substituted at halftime. This appearance reflects the coaching staff's confidence in him, but also the caution with which the club manages its young talents. These two cases, like Dro's, highlight the difficulty of transforming a promising career into a stable one within the first team. In an environment of immediate demands, talent does not guarantee continuity, and the window for development shrinks ever smaller.