The highlight of the 2021-22 season for Barcelona was the bright performances from their young players.
After a tough year in which the Blaugrana had to watch their arch rivals lift both La Liga and the Champions League, most of the hope at Camp Nou has been placed in the future. Ansu Fati, Pedri Gonzalez and Gavi all showed they have the potential to lead Barcelona into a new era.
One player which was less heralded despite some good early form was Nico Gonzalez. Under Ronald Koeman, Nico impressed in the early stages of the season but lost importance under Xavi Hernandez in the second half of the season. Although his season was curtailed by a finger injury, he started just one league match between the 8th of January and it’s end.
As a result, the player is considering a loan move this summer in order to gain regular minutes. According to Fichajes.net, he has three main options. The chief option is Valencia, under new manager Gennaro Gattuso. The Italian is likely to lose Carlos Soler this summer and Nico would be one of the alternatives to replace him.
Real Betis are also preparing for the potential departures of William Carvalho and Guido Rodriguez to balance the books and as a result, Nico could be an option to replace either.
The other option is Real Sociedad. The Txuri-Urdin are once again in three competitions next season and are looking for depth to help them better manage those games, although that may hurt their case as Nico might not get the minutes he wants.
Barcelona are supposedly welcoming Franck Kessie into the fold and with Gavi, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets likely ahead of him in the pecking order, it’s understandable he might look for minutes. Even so, leaving Barcelona always comes with the inherent risk that others may become more valued and ultimately, scupper a player’s chances of representing them. Sergi Roberto and Riqui Puig represent two cases of players who have tried to wait for their chance and played out very differently.
