Listen to Hansi Flick
BarcelonaHansi Flick expressed his discontent in the press conference prior to the La Liga debut against Mallorca for not having all his players registered. A week ago, when asked about Casadó and Fermín, he made it clear that he was counting on both and was especially emphatic about the Andalusian: "It will be a tough season and we need players of Fermín's quality. He did very well last season and at the start of this one. I'm happy with him."
While the footballer has remained silent amid the noise prompted by Chelsea's interest in signing him, There are differing opinions about what is best for Barça: keeping the youth player for sporting reasons or selling him, if he wants, to ease the club's delicate financial situation. Given this situation, Flick will speak again this Saturday, and more than ever, we must listen carefully to him.
No one, not even Laporta, who made the right decision with his signing, could have imagined a year ago that in his first season he would win the double and the Super Cup and come within a whisker of reaching the Champions League final with a squad full of homegrown players, led by Lamine Yamal. He also managed to elevate the team's performances and get players like De Jong, Raphinha, and Lewandowski to their best, and he did so with engaging, direct, entertaining football—a true spectacle. His work in every aspect, including his management of the dressing room and his command of the narrative in press conferences without making excuses or playing the victim, was impeccable, so he has more than earned the right to be heard and for his opinion to have weight in the club's decisions.
If Flick, as he has already stated, wants to keep all the players he already has after the disappointment of losing Iñigo Martínez—for whom Barça, by the way, didn't receive a single euro from the Saudis—, Deco and Laporta should do everything possible to please him, because if there's anyone who generates consensus, it's him. The coach has achieved something unthinkable: no one argues with him. Letting him feel that the club is pulling for him to face this season in the best possible way, knowing that he's being listened to and that his opinion is taken into account, should be a priority so that, ultimately, the happier Flick is, the better for Barça.