The sprinter that Hansi Flick already loved

Barcelona"He has enormous speed and a good first touch. Among his strengths, he particularly stands out in one-on-one situations. He is a great forward." This statement by Hansi Flick could be current, but the German coach made it in the summer of 2021, when he called up Karim Adeyemi for the first time and made his debut for the German national team at just 19 years old. At the time, the new Blaugrana attacker was playing for Salzburg – his training had been mostly at Bayern Munich – a club with whom he would begin to establish himself in the elite, before making the move to Borussia Dortmund. Flick has known Adeyemi for many years, just as, before signing for Dortmund in 2022 – when City snatched Erling Haaland from the Germans – he had already been in the orbit of the Blaugrana technical secretariat.

This summer, the perfect storm occurred, which facilitated the signing in an almost lightning-fast operation. The footballer, with one year left on his contract, wanted a change of scenery. Hansi Flick had been following his situation for some time and is the main architect of his signing. Furthermore, the footballer is represented by Gestifute, Jorge Mendes's macro-agency, an agent who maintains direct contact with both president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco. Dortmund's intention was to sell him for a figure close to 40 million euros: this is the value with which the specialized portal Transfermarktvalues the footballer. Barça, however, in a second offer, reached up to 22 million fixed and seven in variables. A sum to which the Germans finally agreed due to pressure from Adeyemi himself to leave solely for the Catalan entity and Mendes's mediation.

However, the 24-year-old German forward has been in Barcelona for over a week and is training alone. The Catalan club has resolved the final bureaucratic details – such as being able to register him with Social Security and allow him to train with his teammates without any complications – and presented him this Thursday. This was the prior step to being able to summon him for the training camp that Barça will undertake in England starting Monday. He has signed until 2031.

What does Hansi Flick expect from Karim Adeyemi?

Adeyemi lands at Barça after signing a discreet final season at Dortmund where he has been losing prominence by refusing to renew: he has participated in 39 games, scored 10 goals, and provided six assists. "Hansi Flick has already shown that he knows how to get the most out of footballers who have gone through periods of lower performance. We saw it in his first season with Raphinha and, last season, we also saw that he knew how to get the most out of Rashford," recalls a source close to the Barça dressing room to ARA. "He knows him well and has influence over the player," he states.

In figures, his most successful season was 2021-22, the first he played with the BVB team with 23 goals and 9 assists in 43 games. In the 2023-24 season, he played in the Champions League final, which they would eventually lose to Real Madrid, and was a starter in eight of the 13 matches his team played, missing one due to injury. In Adeyemi's favor, according to sources consulted by Barça, are "his versatility, as he can play in all three forward positions; his youth, and that it was a good market opportunity." Throughout his career, the forward has played most often as a striker, although he can play on both wings, cutting inside from the right.

With the right flank covered by Lamine Yamal, who with his intervention and dribbling ability attracts the attention of several defenders, on the left flank Flick is looking for footballers with more of a sprinter profile and with finishing ability. The Barcelona star hoards rival defenders, and this creates space. Therefore, on the left, players like Raphinha, Gordon and now also Adeyemi – who has registered top speeds exceeding 36 km/h – have room to run. In addition, with the arrival of the Briton and the German, the sporting management considers that they are covered if the Brazilian, this season or later, leaves the Barcelona discipline. Flick's priority, however, remains to sign a center forward, whatever happens with Ferran Torres."The Catalan people are special"

In his presentation, Adeyemi reiterated that Flick's confidence was key to coming to Barça and repeated that the blaugrana is "the best club in the world". This is how the forward argued it in his first appearance with Barça: "It is a club with an immense history and an extraordinary past. I have known this club since I was little, and incredible footballers have played here. I also think it is a different club. There is a special bond with the Catalan people and that is what makes it so special. Everyone told me that, when I came here, I would feel that things are different, because it is not just about Spain, but also about the Catalan people".

Of Nigerian father and Romanian mother who immigrated to Germany, her name means that she is "worthy of the crown" or that "the crown suits her". In Nigeria, names starting with Ade- usually belong to the Yoruba ethnic group, one of the three major ethnic groups in the country (along with the Hausa and Igbo). In the Yoruba language, Adé (Ade) means crown and is associated with royalty, nobility, or prestige. For this reason, it is very common among Yoruba families, although today people of all sorts of origins from this community wear it.