Barcelona are a team that were always heavily invested in their youth development. The club understands that instead of buying players for millions of euros, they can just produce world-class players in their world-renowned youth academy, La Masia. It is no secret that some of the world’s best players have graduated from the academy and in fact, the best player in the world, Lionel Messi, was also a product of the famed academy.
Recent graduates from the academy who made it to the B team and finally into the first team, include the likes of Ansu Fati, Riqui Puig, and Ilaix Moriba. With the club going through a heavy financial crisis, they might once again look into the graduates who made it to the B team and are ready for some first-team action.
Here are Barcelona B’s top five players who are ready to play for the first team next season:
#1 Inaki Pena (Position: Goalkeeper | Joined Barcelona in 2012)
Barcelona are in need of a new goalkeeper after their second-choice goalkeeper, Neto, expressed his desire to leave the club. Neto is reaching the end of his playing career and he would like to spend the last few years on the pitch rather than playing second fiddle to Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Thus there is a need for a second-choice goalkeeper next season. Instead of spending money and going for a new keeper, the Catalans can just look to their B side’s keeper, Inaki Pena.
The 22-year-old has already broken into the first-team squad but has not been deployed as of yet. He has played only nine games for the second squad this season and has kept five clean sheets. He could go on to replace Ter Stegen completely once the German starts degrading with age; however, that could be a while and till then he will have to play second fiddle to the first choice keeper. Ronald Koeman could start building up the player next season by giving him cup games but we have to wait and see what the president has planned for the transfer window.
#2 Alejandro Balde (Position: Left-Back | Joined Barcelona in 2018)
Alejandro Balde is another player who is looking very exciting and could be promoted to the first team next season. The speedy defender started off as a striker when he was younger however, after training and further evaluation, his best position was deemed to be at the left-back position. His speed and immense sense of awareness and location makes him a perfect left-back and his attacking prowess makes him fit into the Barcelona style even more.
One of the reasons why Jordi Alba is still the Catalans’ preferred left-back is due to his ability to get upfront and help out the attack. Junior Firpo was given many tries but the Dominican player was unable to replicate Alba’s performance. Bringing in Balde could be a good thing for the youngster who is only 17 years of age however, he cannot be given too much responsibility as it may make him self-conscious and end up hurting his career. He needs to be eased into the first team however, reports suggest that he will become Blaugrana’s second-choice left-back next season if they go on to sell Firpo.
#3 Alex Collado (Position: AM/Winger | Joined Barcelona in 2010)
The Captain of the B team, Alex Collado, has a very good chance of breaking into the first team next season after a great season with the B team this season. Koeman had already flirted with the idea of bringing him into the main team this season and he was on the bench for Barcelona in quite a few games however, he never made an appearance. With good versatility, good leadership skills and great technique, he could go on to do wonders for the Blaugrana. He is only 21 years old so there is a lot of room for improvement and he could get some good training under the guidance of Koeman as well as Lionel Messi.
However, Barcelona’s midfield is packed at the moment and even talented players like Riqui Puig and Ilaix Moriba made only a few appearances this season. So while there is a very good chance that Collado will be called upon next season, especially if they sell Philippe Coutinho, it is unlikely that he will be deployed too many times just due to the number of talented players bossing the Catalan midfield.
#4 Konrad de la Fuente (Position: Winger | Joined Barcelona in 2014)
Another very exciting player from Barcelona B who could definitely join the first team is the American named Konrad de la Fuente. The 19-year-old winger has already broken into the first team this season and he appeared for them twice in the UEFA Champions League in the match against Dynamo Kyiv and Ferencvaros. He has also been on the bench for the main team several times this season although his two cameos in the UCL was all that he was offered by Koeman.
The young attacker can be deployed on either of the two wings or in the midfield. He has an uncanny ability to beat players 1v1 and can also put in some dangerous crosses from the byline. According to Spanish media houses, he can be the next player to replace Ansu Fati if the Spaniard takes a long time to recover. The American has a lot of talent and it cannot be wasted by Barcelona. He should definitely be given a few more chances next season if Fati does not recover.
#5 Rey Manaj (Position: Centre-Forward | Joined Barcelona B in 2020)
Rey Manaj is an interesting choice that Koeman can look into next season. The 24-year-old striker is the oldest in this list of players and one might ask why someone who is entering his prime is still in the B team. Manaj has an interesting past, to say the least, from playing from Inter Milan to Granada and now finally at Barcelona B. He was never the best striker and some might argue that he does not have what it takes to play in the top tier of football.
However, the Catalans are in a dire need of a striker and Martin Braithwaite has been less than satisfactory. Manaj on the other hand has been performing quite well with the B team and he could certainly be given another shot in the top tier of football. He has scored 10 goals in 18 appearances this season while providing two assists. Playing for the main team would be a dream come true for the former Inter player however, with talks of Sergio Aguero joining the club on a free, his promotion to the first team could be jeopardized.
Which of these players are you most excited to see play with the first team?