Barcelona have historically had to say farewell to some of their most talented youngsters, and for those in the mid-teens, it is usually too early to tell just how good they will be. Yet there is growing concern over the loss of talent in Catalonia currently.
The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Gerard Pique and Hector Bellerin all left the club as youngsters, eventually returning, but greater or lesser known names such as Sergi Canos, Jon Toral and Mauro Icardi have also left as youngsters.
This alone though, Victor Barbera and Ilias Akhomach are set to leave the club for free. The next in line, as per Relevo (via Sport), is Juan Hernandez. The 15-year-old winger with pace and good one-on-one ability is likely to leave this summer with Paris Saint-Germain his next destination.
A similar move happened a few years ago when Xavi Simons left La Masia for PSG, and his since moved on to PSV Eindhoven, but has now made it into the Dutch national team, proving his ability.
Earlier in the season it was reported that confidence was waning in La Masia head Jose Ramon Alexanco, with Director of Football Mateu Alemany handling negotiations for Lamine Yamal’s first deal. Since, news has come out that they will continue with Alexanco at the helm, but this latest development will only cause further concern for Barcelona.
Part of the reason for the “loss of talent” in the youth setup is that a lot of the young talent is ahead of schedule and already in the first team. This forces some that are still at La Masia to confront the fact that they are now more than just a year or two away from replacing a first team member. Some will stay and fight, others will leave for more opportunity, but there’s plenty of young talent in Catalunya; you just have to look to the first team to see it.
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