At seven in the morning, Hansi Flick arrived at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper to welcome the players and start the preseason of what will be his third season in charge of the men’s first team. The day began with the usual medical check-ups.
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Due to the World Cup international exodus, at 9:00 a.m. ten first team players were called, as well as a large representation of 15 youth and reserve team players who will complete the training sessions, the first of which will begin this Tuesday with a single morning training session. During the week, the team will alternate morning and afternoon sessions, with some days of double sessions.
From the first team, Flick will initially only be able to count on goalkeepers Ter Stegen and Szczesny; defenders Balde, Christensen, Gerard Martín, and Héctor Fort; midfielders Casadó and Marc Bernal; and Roony Bardghji as the only available forward. Fermín López will also be present, although still in the final stages of recovery from the fracture in his right foot suffered against Betis. That injury forced him to undergo surgery and prevented him from playing in the World Cup. The midfielder has been working at the club’s facilities since July 6, has already started running on the pitch, and Barça trusts that he can join the group during the final stretch of the preseason.
Fermín was not the only one to advance his return. Most of the available players have been preparing for the start of the season for several days. Gerard Martín, Marc Bernal, and Balde have trained voluntarily at the Ciutat Esportiva during the last week. Ter Stegen has also done so, already recovered from his injury and pending to finalize his loan to Ajax for one season.
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The German goalkeeper is not the only one whose future points away from Barcelona. Marc Casadó, Roony Bardghji, and Héctor Fort also face a decisive preseason and hope to have a conversation with Flick to assess their situation. All this after the sale of Ansu Fati to Monaco and the departure of Robert Lewandowski to Chicago Fire.
Changes in the physical preparation department
Flick also took advantage of the day to start working with his new coaching staff. There are new developments in the physical preparation area. As this newspaper reported, in addition to the transfer of Julio Tous, who will head the new Performance and Sports Optimization area – a department that will serve all professional sections except the men’s first team – and the addition of the German Benjamin Kugel, with whom Flick coincided in the German national team, Lucas del Campo’s arrival is added. The physical trainer leaves the women’s first team. Rafa Maldonado and Germán Fernández will join the coaching staff of Barça Atlètic, led by Juliano Belletti. There will also be changes in the nutrition area. Sílvia Tremoleda leaves the club after five seasons and will be replaced by Mireia Porta Oliva, until now the nutritionist of the women’s first team and linked to Barça since 2018. This summer she was part of the coaching staff of the United States national team, led by Mauricio Pochettino, during the World Cup. Previously, she worked at Tottenham (2017-18) and the Spanish Hockey Federation.
13 reserve team players in first team dynamics
Among the players who passed the medical check-ups were also the cousins Toni Fernández, whose future is still undecided, and Guille Fernández, as well as Hamza Abdelkarim. The 18-year-old Egyptian forward renewed a few weeks ago until 2029 after impressing in the Juvenil and debuting with the senior national team in the World Cup. Hamza returned to Barcelona three days ago after Egypt’s elimination in the round of 16 against Argentina.
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They passed the medical check and will complete these first preseason sessions goalkeeper Áron Yakobishvili and field players Álvaro Cortés, Tommy Marqués, Xavi Espart, Jofre Torrents, Shane Kluivert, Orian Goren, Álex González, Hafiz Gariba, Ebrima Tunkara, Ibrahim Diarra, and Òscar Gistau.
The Barcelona preseason schedule
The team, which on July 24 will play a closed-door friendly against Europa, from the Primera Federación, will train in Sant Joan Despí until July 27. That day it will start a training camp at St. George’s Park (England), where it will stay until August 3. During that stay, it will play a friendly on July 31 against Birmingham City, from the English second division, at St. Andrew’s Knighthead Park.
By then, some of the internationals who played in the World Cup are expected to gradually join the group. The first will be Ronald Araújo, eliminated in the group stage with Uruguay; Frenkie de Jong, knocked out with the Netherlands in the round of 32; and Raphinha, who fell with Brazil in the round of 16.
João Cancelo is also expected to travel to England once his signing for ten million euros is made official, as well as Karim Adeyemi, the new Blaugrana reinforcement, whose incorporation is pending official confirmation. The forward did not train this Sunday with Borussia Dortmund while the details of a transfer estimated at 22 million euros fixed and another seven in variables are finalized.
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The rest of the ten internationals will enjoy their three weeks of vacation. In fact, FC Barcelona is the club with the most representation in the World Cup semifinals. Eight Blaugrana players are part of Luis de la Fuente’s Spanish national team: Joan Garcia, Pau Cubarsí, Eric Garcia, Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal, and Ferran Torres, the latter with an offer from PSG on the table. Barça would have to pay Manchester City between 7 and 8 million euros if Ferran Torres renews. This is a clause agreed upon in 2021.
They are joined by Jules Koundé, a starter with France, who will face Spain this Monday in Dallas, and Anthony Gordon, one of Barcelona’s signings for the next season, called up with England and who will seek to reach the final against Argentina. FC Barcelona will debut in the 2026-27 League on the weekend of August 22-23 against Elche, at the Martínez Valero.
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