We’ve been asking for all your questions about for our new Mailbag and will focus today on who will replace Hansi Flick, dream signings for the summer and the best (and worst) performers of the season so far.
So without any further ado, let’s get started…
I’m very worried about how we will handle coaching transition once Flick decides it is enough for him. Even though I understand no one will be able to replicate what Flick is doing with this team (and we need to enjoy the ride), do you think Thiago
could be a worthwhile successor as an in-house solution? If not, which upcoming or veteran coach could be a good choice (Fàbregas is showing some promise with Como, would Nagelsmann be potentially interested and a good fit 2-3 years down the line, there is some rumbling about Arteta as well, I’m very intrigued by Andoni Iraola)? – NomadAlen
It’s good to know there’s somone just as anxious as I am who is thinking about something in the future that we can’t control but causes us to sweat just thinking about the worst-case scenario if things go wrong. Anxiety rules!
Anyway, back to the question. I truly have been thinking about this a lot, because nailing the appointment of Hansi Flick’s replacement is crucial to continue the momentum that his arrival has created. Flick has transformed the entire atmosphere around the club with his personality and the team’s style of play, and the next coach after him needs to keep up the good vibes within the squad and find a way to retain the best qualities of Flick’s system while also building upon some of its weaknesses.
As we learned with Xavi, the idea of a young prospect with ties to the club sounds appealing, but the coach’s inexperience instantly becomes a problem when they have to deal with the immense pressure of the job. Thiago and Cesc sound like fun options, but Flick’s positive and negative experiences at the highest level in club and international football are part of what made him so perfect for the job.
Mikel Arteta and Andoni Iraola have different styles but are proving their worth weekly at the highest level of club league football, but I just don’t see them as Barcelona managers right now. Iraola might become a great candidate if he returns to Spain to replace Ernesto Valverde as is being rumored and does a phenomenal job with Athletic Club, but for now the jump from Bournemouth to Barcelona is just a little too high.
Arteta needs to prove he can win things first, and as much as I respect everything he’s built at Arsenal and how the signs of a Barcelona-style possession team are certainly there at times, I just cannot stand watching them. Flick’s Barça is incredibly fun even when it’s not winning, but you can only enjoy Arteta’s teams if they’re consistently getting three points.
Luis Enrique’s name will always be mentioned and he personally has never closed the door on a return to Camp Nou, and I certainly would welcome him back with open arms. But I think he’d ultimately choose to not deal with the daily madness of the job that ultimately defeated him in his first stint, so I’ll believe it when I see it with Lucho.
So for now, there’s only really one candidate I really like: Julian Nagelsmann. He’s on the same path as Flick, having dealt with the pressures of a massive club like Bayern (where he had less success than Hansi but was still pretty good and doesn’t get enough credit) and is now dealing with the pressures of a massive national team like Germany.
Nagelsmann’s teams are wildly entertaining at their best and he’s a little more flexible tactically than Hansi, which I think would help Barça evolve from a high-risk, high-reward strategy to a more dominant, controlling team that can still score a bunch but can be humble and manage games a little better.
If say magically, we somehow reach 1:1 in summer, with there being no indication right now of this happening, assuming we would still be on a budget, which positional signing would you prioritize and why? – Death_GOD
I understood this question as “what’s your dream signing if we can sign freely and which position woud you choose?”, so that’s the angle I’m gonna take. Apologies if your question had another meaning.
For me, targeting a big-money striker this summer would be a cute election tactic for Joan Laporta but would fail to solve the very obvious issue with the team, and that is the lack of a physically dominant center-back. You can’t win the big games in football these days without at least one of them, and while full-back depth certainly needs to be addressed, a truly world-class (and preferably left-footed) center-back is the one signing that would complete the vision for Hansi Flick’s team in 2026-27.
The two ultra-unrealistic targets for me are Willian Pacho from PSG and Josko Gvardiol from Man City, but there’s absolutely no way either of those teams would sell those players even if Barça had the money to pay whatever transfer fee is needed. But I just wanted to mention those two names, because they are undoubtedly the two most perfect choices for a left-footed center-back who can pass, dominate in the air, and has the pace and power to thrive with Flick’s high line.
As for the more realistic targets, only one name stands out for me: Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan. I don’t quite understand the love for Nico Schlotterbeck (he’s a little slow and has already had a major injury which doesn’t bode well for his future as a physically dominant CB), but Bastoni is about as perfect a fit as there is. He’s only 26, has all the qualities that Iñigo Martínez brought to the table last season both as a player and as a leader, is fast, really good in the air, and is quite simply an outrageous passer for a defender.
If you pair Bastoni with Pau Cubarsí and have Frenkie de Jong and Pedri as a double pivot in front of them, Barça would become completely bulletproof against the press and would be able to progress the ball from the back to front better than pretty much any team in the world. I honestly do not see anyone (other than Pacho and Gvardiol) who’s a better fit for a position Barça desperately need to address, but we already know that we’ll sign Julián Alvarez this summer.
At this point in the season, who do you think has been the best performer for Barça? Who has been the worst? And who has been the most improved? Billy_Dee_Billiams
There’s a three-way tie for Barça’s best player of the season so far between Lamine Yamal, Pedri, and Frenkie de Jong. All three have missed time due to injury and all three have had their own moments where they were clearly the best player, so I find it hard to choose just one. Yamal has the statistical edge because he’s a forward, and I actually think the start to his season has been underrated because people chose to focus on his social media rather than his play, but both Pedri and Frenkie have had extended periods this season in which they were playing like the best midfielder in the world. So I really can’t choose, which shows just how great those three have been.
I hate to be negative, but Wojciech Szcesny has really disappointed me this season. He was surprisingly excellent out of retirement last season but is clearly now just collecting a paycheck and looking to be a positive influence as a veteran in the dressing room, but his actual play on the pitch during Joan Garcia’s injury was hard to watch.
As for the most improved player, while it is easy to say it’s Gerard Martín, I actually think his “rookie season” last year is not appreciated enough by Barça fans who could not get his poor start to the 2024-25 campaign out of their heads and just ignored just how consistently good he was from January 2025 onwards. The switch to center-back has certainly put more of a spotlight on him and he’s having a really good season, but he also had a really good season last year. Y’all just didn’t pay attention.
So there’s just one choice for most improved, and that’s Eric Garcia. Not only has he played in every single game and has consistently performed well as a center-back, full-back and defensive midfielder, but he’s actually improved in every area of his game: he’s faster, he’s better in the air, he’s somehow a better passer, and he’s a better one-on-one defender. He’s evolved in every aspect, and that’s a testament to his work ethic and Flick’s belief in his abilites.
That’s all from me today. Gill will be back soon for the next round of The BB Mailbag. Until then, let us know your questions and thoughts in the comments below!
