Though the wheels haven’t quite come off for Barcelona this season, it’s not been the most vintage of campaigns for them so far in 2023/24.
Much of the stop-start nature of the season could arguably be attributed to the absences of key players through injury.
Pedri has been a long-term absentee, as has Frenkie de Jong, and when neither have been in situ, Barca’s midfield has appeared brittle at times and lacking invention.
Certainly, de Jong’s marauding runs – which had become a key feature of the way Barca were evolving under Xavi – have been sorely missed.
The Catalans have been slow and laboured in their passing with no one looking to break the lines.
In turn that has meant they’ve become very predictable and easy to play against, so the Dutchman’s return can’t come soon enough.
Given his importance to the club and the way that Xavi and the powers that be want Barca to play the game, one might expect that a contract extension would be in the offing.
However, sporting director, Deco, has announced there’ll be no contract discussions for the time being, regardless of how long a player has left to run on his current deal.
“This year we are not going to make any renewals. We do not talk about that,” he said to Sport.
“We are calm, without rushing, approaching the agents because we know that there are players who have this season and one or two more and at that time we will talk to the agents. Both parties have to be happy and we will see in the future.
“Frenkie is a great player, I like him. There are others in a similar situation, like Pedri, Raphinha, and Ferran and they are players who have a contract and we are going to try to improve little by little but without getting into individualities.
“It will depend on him and also on the club’s situation, as well as in the case of other players. Of course, De Jong is a great player and we would like to have good players.”
I really miss frenkie