There’s a curious pattern with young players starting to emerge, where they desperately want to sign for the biggest teams at a young age, but then they start to pursue an exit when it’s clear the path to the first team is blocked.
For every Xavi Iniesta and Messi, there’s a Gerard Pique, Cesc Fabregas and Mauro Icardi who had to leave the Nou Camp at a young age to establish themselves somewhere else.
It’s often the case that some will eventually find their way back to Barcelona, but it sounds like they are losing some very talented youngsters to the Premier League just now.
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A report from Sport has looked at the current situation, and cites recent examples of Juan Larios and Marc Jurado who moved to Manchester recently with City and United respectively, but it sounds like Everton are starting to get in on the act.
They indicate that Everton are looking to sign Gerard Gonzalez who has been a standout for Barca and Spain at youth level, so that would be another blow for their La Masia system.
It’s also suggested that other teams would show an interest, but it’s a very concerning pattern for Barca to see.
We’ve seen few players actually make it into the first team lately so it’s natural that the youngsters will look to leave, and that could jeopardize the whole identity of the club.