Replacement for Alejandro Balde: Hansi Flick personally asks Joan Laporta for him

The league championship has started and Barça still has several players pending registration. Financial fair play continues to set the agenda and greatly conditions the club's decisions. Despite having prepared footballers such as the Polish goalkeeper Szczesny, the full-back Gerard Martín, or the new signing, the Swede Roony, they are still pending registration.

The delay in registering these players is due to the salary adjustments that the club still has to make. Barça is awaiting the departure of several players whom the German coach doesn't count on, such as Héctor Fort, Iñaki Peña, and Oriol Romeu. In principle, it is expected that the departures of these three players will be solved this week, freeing up salary mass.

In this context, the club could soon register the three pending players, as Hansi Flick has expressly requested this from Joan Laporta. Flick's message is clear: there is a player he wants and needs no matter what. Flick doesn't want economic problems to hinder his sports planning. The name in question is Gerard Martín; the left-back was one of the most positive surprises of last season.

Gerard Martín, absolute priority

The former Cornellà left-back started last season slowly and then improved, and some did not trust him or his potential. That was not the case for Hansi Flick, who trusted Gerard from preseason and ended up having a very good season in his debut year in the top flight. Alejandro Balde became the starting left-back, but his recurring physical problems kept him sidelined in several matches.

Gerard Martín was in charge of replacing him, always performing at a good level and showing his defensive solidity. Gerard doesn't yet have an official contract, and Flick has urged Laporta to solve this problem as soon as possible, since he considers his addition necessary and urgent. The German coach values Gerard Martín's versatility, and in preseason, he has also used him as a left-sided center-back.

Absolute trust in Gerard Martín

One of Hansi Flick's ideas in preseason was to try Gerard Martín on the left side of the central defensive axis. The results were very positive, and the coach believes that Gerard can form a partnership with Cubarsí and take on the vacant role left by Iñigo Martínez's departure. Flick believes that Martín has the necessary qualities to fill the position: physique, tactical intelligence, and composure on the ball.

While left-back is his natural position, Flick values his vision of the game and his left-footed profile, which is uncommon in the squad. Delaying the registration poses a problem for Flick, who sees the player as ready to start performing immediately. Gerard Martín's registration depends largely on the departures that Deco and Laporta are trying to finalize in the coming hours.