After the previous endeavours of signing big-money players, Barcelona have been subdued to somewhat of a financial crisis, especially due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Moreover, the players signed, namely Ousmane Dembele, Phillipe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann have been lacklustre at the Camp Nou, hence failing Barcelona’s attempt to secure their long-awaited Champions League title for the sixth time. In virtue of this, the Catalan giants could be forced to sell a few players to make room for new arrivals.
Among other players, Ansu Fati has been linked with a move away from Barcelona but the La Liga champions have now reportedly made a decision regarding the wunderkind’s future at the club. Barcelona consider the 17-year-old “non-transferable” and have no plans of parting ways with their talented teenager.
Borussia Dortmund’s own young sensation, Jadon Sancho has long been linked with Premier League outfits Manchester United and Chelsea. As a result, BVB identified Ansu Fati as a potential summer recruit if Sancho does indeed leave the club.
Barcelona, however, consider Fati to be an integral part of the first-team squad and sees him as a future superstar at the Camp Nou.
Ansu Fati’s run at Barcelona so far
Having signed his first professional contract last summer which will see him at Barcelona until 2022, Ansu Fati’s run at the club has been magical and exciting.
Coming through the ranks of La Masia, the teenager became the second-youngest player to debut for Barcelona after coming on as a late substitute during the club’s 5-2 win over Real Betis in La Liga last July.
He became Barcelona’s youngest-ever goalscorer and the third-youngest to score a goal in La Liga after finding the back of the net in a 2-2 draw with Osasuna in late August.
Fati made his first Barcelona start in September and marked the occasion by both scoring and assisting, thereby becoming the youngest player in the history of La Liga to score and assist in the same match. Just three days later, he became the second-youngest Barcelona player to feature in the Champions League after playing in a goalless draw against Dortmund.
In December he became the youngest player to score in the Champions League after netting the winner in Barcelona’s 2-1 triumph over Inter Milan. Ansu Fati’s records doesn’t stop here as in February this year, he became the youngest player to score a brace in La Liga during the Catalan giants’ 2-1 win against Levante.
His pace and dribbling skills have helped the teenager to bag five goals and an assist in 24 appearances in all competitions. He is bound to improve as his playing time increases in the near future.
Authentic style of play
As a La Masia graduate, Ansu Fati possesses all the talent to adapt to Barcelona’s playing style. In recent years, the Blaugrana have lost touch with their classic “Tiki-Taka” style of play.
Shaping up the forward could help Barcelona rejuvenate their famed possession-based style. Furthermore, playing alongside the likes Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez up front is sure to improve him, with the youngster likely to gain the maturity required to perform at the biggest of stages.
Equipped with raw dribbling talent, many footballing analysts have started to dub Fati as “the heir to Leo Messi”.
Future Prospect
Ansu Fati exposed the footballing world to the fact that homegrown talent is still imminent and that spending huge sums of money to buy players cannot always be the solution.
As much as his own meteoric rise, the Spain Under-21 international has created an understanding with the team’s talisman – Lionel Messi. The Argentine provided the two assists for Fati’s brace against Levante which was reminiscent of the connection between the 32-year-old and Neymar. This was admitted by Fati himself in the post-match interview.
Within the club itself, there is huge optimism surrounding the teenager’s future and his path towards glory. The promising desire on the player’s part has made Barcelona willing to provide all the tools needed for his continued success. Moreover, playing alongside elite players at the Camp Nou will undoubtedly boost the youngster’s confidence.
Ansu Fati has the best chance to showcase his talents to the footballing world as a whole and live up to the hype surrounding him if he stays put at Barcelona – one of the biggest clubs of the planet.
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