Barcelona keep exit door shut for Pau Victor despite lack of minutes | OneFootball

After an opening to the year that was incessant in terms of the drama around the club, Barcelona are primed for a quiet end to the January transfer window. The initial noise surrounded Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, as they went unregistered past the Liga deadline, but the Blaugrana have secured an emergency injunction to allow them to remain registered while they argue their case in court that they should not have been unregistered.

Even so, Victor and Olmo have been limited in their contributions, after missing games against Barbastro and Athletic Club due to the registration saga. Olmo has been held back by injuries, with his only start coming against Real Betis before falling injured again after their clash with Getafe. Meanwhile Victor remains on the sidelines due to technical decisions, getting just 18 minutes against Real Betis in Barcelona’s last eight games.

Pau Victor celebrates a goal in preseason.

Victor started off the season well, scoring and assisting in his opening 115 minutes of La Liga action. Starting just once all season back in September though, his cameos have been reduced of late. During the registration uncertainty, Betis emerged as a potential loan destination, but MD say that now the club are not considering a departure, and neither is Victor. Manager Hansi Flick is keen to hold onto him until the end of the season.

Victor cut his teeth as a central striker, finishing as top scorer in the third tier last season while on loan at Barca Atletic. However Flick has used Victor almost exclusively from wide areas, opting for Ferran Torres through the middle whenever Robert Lewandowski has been replaced or rested. One positive sign for the 22-year-old is that he is ahead of Ansu Fati in the pecking order, with the latter being left out of Barcelona’s last four squads.