Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has invested a lot time in Pedro ‘Dro’ Fernández that he may barely imagine it when the 18-year-old midfielder instructed him he was leaving the membership.
Flick had taken Dro on Barcelona’s preseason tour final summer time, handed him his LaLiga debut in September, and a primary UEFA Champions League begin in October. However, after experiencing that style of soccer on the prime degree, Dro was left wanting extra. And with minutes within the first workforce onerous to come by, {the teenager} made the shock choice to search common soccer elsewhere, sending shockwaves by means of the membership.
This week, Dro’s switch to Paris Saint-Germain was confirmed, with sources telling ESPN that the French membership even paid barely greater than his €6 million launch clause to signal him. That clause meant Barça may do nothing to stop the transfer, which damage much more given the involvement of membership’s former player and coach Luis Enrique, who’s now PSG supervisor.
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Dro’s surprising departure angered Flick, membership sources instructed ESPN. When the information broke the German coach initially mentioned he didn’t need to converse in regards to the challenge till the switch was “done.” However, all through that very same information convention, he referenced the affect of others across the player, the arrogance he had proven in him and a want to solely work with those that need to be on the membership.
“If you want to play with Barça, it has to be 100% with your whole heart,” he mentioned. “All the others, I don’t want.”
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Flick, normally placid in public, was talking whereas the information was nonetheless uncooked; Dro had solely communicated to him that week that he would go away. Club sources instructed ESPN that Flick requested him to suppose it over. But the following day, Dro reiterated the identical stance, explaining the choice was purely primarily based on soccer causes, not monetary ones.
Flick ordered him to depart the first-team dressing room; between then and sealing his transfer to PSG, he skilled alone. In parallel, Dro’s agent — former Barça midfielder Ivan de la Peña, who can be Luis Enrique’s agent and shut pal — communicated the choice to sporting director Deco, who was equally stunned.
Barça had deliberate to give Dro a brand new contract. They have been ready for him to flip 18, which he did so after the Spanish Supercopa remaining win over Real Madrid earlier in January. On the flight again from Saudi Arabia, the membership shared a video of teammate Raphinha giving him a cake because the squad sung “Happy Birthday.” That was the final time he was seen in Barça colours.
Sources shut to the negotiations mentioned new contract talks by no means actually obtained off the bottom, including that Barça ought to carry some blame there as a result of they may have acted faster, figuring out how attainable the €6 million clause was for Europe’s largest groups. Barça president Joan Laporta rejected that, claiming Sunday {that a} renewal settlement had been shut.
Dro leaves after making 5 appearances for Barça, though he had not featured since coming off the bench towards Atlético Madrid on Dec. 2. Sources shut to the player defined he felt his pathway to common soccer at Barça was clogged.
Flick performs a system with two deep-lying central midfielders and a No. 10, which didn’t swimsuit his best qualities. The identical sources mentioned Dro is most comfy as one among two superior midfielders in entrance of a holding midfielder. Even as a No. 10 in Flick’s formation, minutes weren’t forthcoming, with Fermín López, Dani Olmo and Raphinha amongst these used forward of him. Dro was additionally used out vast, however sources mentioned that 149 minutes of soccer — and simply 88 touches of the ball — didn’t signify a blind perception in him from the teaching employees.
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Sources shut to the player instructed ESPN that, over the course of a number of conversations with Luis Enrique, Dro was satisfied PSG would swimsuit him higher at this stage of his profession. The reigning European champions weren’t the one membership after him: Manchester City, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich had all proven an curiosity beforehand. When information leaked that he was leaving, sources mentioned numerous groups phoned De la Peña to examine the scenario; golf equipment that had beforehand thought of a deal not possible have been reawakened to the potential for signing Dro. Sources shut to the player insisted the PSG deal was not closed at that time, nevertheless it’s now clear talks have been already superior.
Dro’s rise accelerated final summer time when Arnau Blanco was promoted to Flick’s employees after years within the academy, the place he had coached Dro. His pleasure in regards to the player rubbed off on Flick and, whereas membership sources mentioned it was at all times a case of sooner reasonably than later, it expedited the teenager’s development.
Dro Fernández was set to be Barcelona’s subsequent young star. Then, simply days after turning 18, he shocked the membership by saying he wished out. What occurred? David Ramos – UEFA/UEFA through Getty Images
Dro had joined Barça from Galician aspect Val Miñor — the place Thiago Alcántara had additionally performed — aged 14 in 2022. Initially referred to as “Dro” as a result of his brother couldn’t say his identify, it caught given the variety of different Pedros he performed with down the years. Real Madrid had additionally been alerted to his expertise, however sources concerned in his transfer to Barça mentioned Los Blancos “slept” on getting a deal accomplished.
There are some gamers who lend themselves simply to comparisons. Dro is one among them. Val Miñor coach Javier Roxo instructed ESPN: “I have not seen anyone as technical as Thiago [Alcántara], but in terms of vision, Dro is possibly ahead of him.” Meanwhile, Luis Pérez Barreiro, one other ex-coach at Val Miñor, compares him to membership legend Andrés Iniesta, whereas present star Pedri has beforehand dubbed Dro his favourite player coming by means of at Barça.
Another coach who labored with Dro in contrast him to Brazil legend and Ballon d’Or winner, Kaká. They instructed ESPN: “Dro’s understanding of the game is way above the average. He always stood out as a different kind of player. I always saw him as being similar to Kaká, even if he played for Real Madrid and AC Milan [not Barça].”
Dro, whose Galician father performed novice soccer and whose mom is from the Philippines, introduced himself with a surprising strike in preseason which quickly led to a aggressive debut in LaLiga. A primary Champions League begin adopted towards Olympiacos, the place he created a purpose for Fermín to grow to be the second-youngest player to present an help within the competitors.
He turns into the most recent highly-rated graduate of La Masia to depart Barça at a young age. Many search alternatives away from Barça. Some — reminiscent of Gerard Piqué, Cesc Fàbregas, Eric García and Olmo — finally returned. Others — notably Jordi Mboula and, to a lesser extent, Ilaix Moriba — by no means attain the anticipated degree. Meanwhile the jury continues to be out on the likes of Xavi Simons (now at Tottenham Hotspur) and Marc Guiu (Chelsea) by way of their eventual ceiling within the recreation.
Time will inform which group Dro falls into, however PSG are getting some of the promising children to come by means of Barça’s academy within the final 5 years. You solely have to have a look at Flick’s response to respect how a lot of a loss the teenager is to the membership.
