@paucubarsi Official, sold to Bayern, says goodbye to Pau Cubarsí: Iñigo Martínez is responsible
FC Barcelona has one of the best defensive lines in the world, something Bayern has taken advantage of
The 2024/2025 season has been one of the most outstanding for Barça in recent years. Collectively, Hansi Flick has managed to make everything work perfectly thanks to his working methods and the quality of the squad. In attack, Lamine and Raphinha have been the stars, but much of the credit goes to the defense, where Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez have been simply brilliant.
The former, with his tactical intelligence and excellent ball distribution, has been key in building play from the back. The latter, with his imposing physique and aerial dominance, has provided solidity and security to the team, and together, they've formed a defensive partnership that has raised Barça's level. Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez have complemented each other perfectly.
However, despite their outstanding work, Barça's board has been considering the addition of another center-back. The future of players like Araújo and Christensen is uncertain, which has led the sporting management to explore options in the summer market. Moreover, Iñigo Martínez's age must also be taken into account, since the Basque defender is already 34 years old and won't be able to partner Pau Cubarsí forever.
New partner for Pau Cubarsí? Bayern move ahead
In this context, Deco, Barça's sporting director, began negotiations last January with Jonathan Tah. Bayer Leverkusen's captain has been one of the most outstanding defenders of last season in the Bundesliga and was set to become Pau Cubarsí's new partner. However, Bayern Munich have moved ahead and have already completed his signing.
Jonathan Tah's contract was set to expire this season and he negotiated his move to Barça last January with Deco. However, as the weeks went by, the blaugrana sporting director halted the operation because of Iñigo Martínez. Pau Cubarsí's teammate has played at an impressive level, which led to his contract renewal and the cancellation of Tah's signing, who ended up joining Bayern.
Iñigo Martínez will remain alongside Pau Cubarsí
Now, with Jonathan Tah at Bayern Munich, Iñigo Martínez is breathing a sigh of relief. He knows he'll remain a starter, since Barça have no intention of signing any more center-backs. It's still to be seen what happens with Araújo and Christensen, but it's clear that Iñigo won't be affected by the transfer market moves: his place is in Barcelona.
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