How Hansi Flick solved the midfield puzzle at Barcelona this season – Report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona sporting director was speaking about the club’s plans this summer transfer window after they lifted the La Liga title and one thing he made very clear in that interview is that the club will not sign a new midfielder this summer.

When Hansi Flick came to Barcelona, the situation of the midfield at the club was far from certain. It had been a season since Sergio Busquets had left the club and they still hadn’t filled the void. Frenkie de Jong was out injured with no clarity on his return data.

Pedri had endured seasons of injury trauma and there was concerns over his long-term continuity. Gavi was out injured with an ACL injury. That left just Ilkay Gundogan and Fermin Lopez as the options that Flick could rely on.

Flick solves the midfield puzzle

Pedri emerges as a midfield leader for Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

However, as covered by SPORT, Flick seamlessly solves the midfield puzzle at Barcelona. The German coach promoted both Marc Bernal and Marc Casado to the first team to cover the pivot position. The former started the season on an excellent note before an ACL injury struck. However, the club also ended up selling Gundogan.

Casado, meanwhile, turned out to be extremely reliable in the first half of the campaign. Pedri’s injury problems seemed to be a thing of the past and the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Gavi slowly returned from their injuries. Fermin Lopez also rediscovered his best form since the start of 2025.

After Bernal’s injury, Casado assumed the mantle of the starting pivot for much of 2024 and played 2447 minutes. Once Frenkie returned to his best, he took the starting spot from the Spaniard and finished the season with an almost identical 2488 minutes.

Frenkie vs Casado

Frenkie had a sublime second half to the season. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Whenever Frenkie or Casado were unavailable or needed a rest, Eric Garcia and later Gavi were used as the pivots. Eric managed 2044 minutes under his belt across three different positions while the latter managing 1688 minutes.

Fermin and Olmo, between them, had the number 10 role covered for much of the season, playing 2039 and 1934 minutes respectively. Pedri was the one player who was almost never displaced from the starting XI through the course of the season.

As long as Frenkie puts pen to paper on a new deal, Barcelona have no necessity to look at a new midfielder anytime in the near future. They have 8 options for 3 positions on the pitch and all of them are either in their prime or still yet to enter that stage.

As long as Frenkie de Jong commits to a new deal, the club appears well-equipped. The real intrigue lies in how Hansi Flick will deploy his talented pool next season, and who will earn a place in his preferred starting XI.