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The 3 La Masia graduates who will play a big part at Barcelona next season

By Chiranjib Ghosh

NYON, SWITZERLAND - APRIL 20: #11 Carles Perez of FC Barcelona celebrate his goal during the semi-final football match between Manchester City and FC Barcelona of UEFA Youth League at Colovray Sports Centre on April 20, 2018 in Nyon, Switzerland. (Photo by Monika Majer/Getty Images)
NYON, SWITZERLAND - APRIL 20: #11 Carles Perez of FC Barcelona celebrate his goal during the semi-final football match between Manchester City and FC Barcelona of UEFA Youth League at Colovray Sports Centre on April 20, 2018 in Nyon, Switzerland. (Photo by Monika Majer/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona B could see a lot of youngsters moving up to the first-team squad

After Pep Guardiola, no manager has really overseen a mass call-up from Barcelona B. The trust in La Masia has waned over the years, but Ernesto Valverde has shown a little more faith in the youth academy than some of his more recent predecessors.

This shift from crazy spending to a more traditional footballing viewpoint can also be attributed to the appointment of Éric Abidal as technical secretary. His profit-oriented, youngster-based transfer policy has been a huge change from Robert Fernández’s reactionary, erratic buys.

But the return of La Masia to its full glory could be initiated next season, with some talented youngsters set to receive a call-up to the first-team squad. There will be three players from Barcelona B who look set to play a big part under Ernesto Valverde next season.

The first player to get the call-up to the first-team squad has to be Riqui Puig. The UEFA Youth League winner has shown huge potential this season, with his silky possession play and ‘Barça DNA’. The 19-year old midfielder’s latest performance against Huesca was widely lauded.

Ivan Rakitić’s departure is going to leave a huge void in the squad. Riqui Puig cannot be expected to fill that void due to his inexperience. Barça are set to bring in Rodri from Atlético to replace the 31-year old Croatian playmaker, but Puig can certainly compete with the likes of Arturo Vidal.

The Chile international is ageing, and thought to be past his prime. His eventual departure will need a replacement, and Puig could be that player, despite the fact that he shares no commonalities with Vidal.

The Barça midfield has a very bright future indeed if it is feature Arthur, Carles Aleñá, Riqui Puig, Frenkie de Jong and Rodri in a few seasons. There will be competition for playing time, but it will only aid Barça in determining the ability of these midfielders.

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The second call-up to the first-team squad is set to be that of Abel Ruiz. Currently, there are no proper backups to Luis Suárez other than the less-than-average Kevin-Prince Boateng. ‘El Pistolero’ is ageing, and Antoine Griezmann is only a short-term solution.

Barça are certain to lose out on Luka Jović, and this opens up an opportunity for La Masia graduate Abel Ruiz to establish himself as the future of the Barça attack. He impressed in pre-season, and his cameos in the Supercopa de Catalunya and the La Liga have also not gone unnoticed.

Ruiz is yet to fire on all cylinders for Barcelona B, but has been absolutely magnificent for Spain on various youth levels. The 19-year old striker will certainly get minutes under Ernesto Valverde next season, even if a new centre-forward is signed by the club.

Carles Pérez is the third player who is expected to receive a promotion next season. His call-up would be purely based on the fact that he has led Xavi García Pimienta’s side this season. The 21-year old right winger has netted 9 goals and provided 4 assists in 26 appearances this season.

Pérez recently made his debut for the Barça first-team in the side’s last league game of the season, in a 2-2 draw with Eibar away from home. The La Masia graduate could really add depth to the attack, which could really be depleted after Philippe Coutinho’s departure.

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If Barça decide against calling up Carles Pérez, Álex Collado could be an alternative. There are also other players like Juan Miranda who stand a chance of making it into the first-team squad, but the trio of Riqui Puig, Abel Ruiz and Carles Pérez are set to be the La Masia graduates to have the biggest impact next season.