What Ferran Torres Would Bring to Barcelona

The Player

Torres is just 21-years-old. He fits in Barcelona’s rebuild timeline. In addition, he’s also Spanish, so this presents a homecoming of sorts.

Playing time has been hard to come by for Torres this season. He has four appearances in the Premier League and one appearance in the Champions League. In those Premier League appearances, the Spaniard has two goals and an assist.

The lack of playing time isn’t due to Torres not being a playable player, but due to the incredible depth City have going forward. It’s always going to be difficult for a young player to overcome the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, and others. Pep Guardiola clearly sees something in Torres, and the player passes the eye test while on the pitch, but he needs playing time to improve.

Last season, Torres appeared in 24 Premier League games. He racked up seven goals and two assists. That same season he scored four goals in six Champions League appearances.

It’s important to mention that Torres holds La Liga experience. Before joining City, he enjoyed a couple of successful seasons at Valencia. His last season in La Liga with Valencia was in 2019/20. He scored four goals and provided five assists in 34 appearances. Valencia were also in the Champions League that year, where Torres scored two goals and provided two assists in six matches.

The Fit

Barcelona presents an opportunity for playing time. Torres fits in the group with Ansu Fati, Memphis Depay, and Ousmane Dembele. Barcelona have a plethora of youth as well that will keep pressure on Torres to improve. It’s also likely Philippe Coutinho departs from the club, only opening up for space for Torres.

In Barcelona’s recent match versus Elche, they used many young forwards. This list includes Ferran Jutgla, Nicolas Gonzalez, Adbe Ezzalzouli, and Alex Balde. Although talented, it’s never been clearer that Barcelona are in desperate need of proven talent.

New manager Xavi is in to completely reinvigorate the team. He’s a Barcelona legend and knows the way the club should be run. Identifying Torres as a priority speaks volumes to the way the midfield legend sees the young Spaniard.

The bottom line is simple. Barcelona needs talent, whereas Torres needs playing time. The fit makes plenty of sense. Barcelona are seventh in La Liga, and did not make it to the Champions League Round of 16. Reinforcements are needed.