Barcelona youth prodigy called up to first-team training

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick afforded a place in his latest training session to a highly-regarded member of the club’s youth ranks.

Official: Barcelona’s salary cap rises to €463.6 million from €426 million in September

Earlier today, La Liga announced the updated salary cap limits for clubs after the culmination of the winter transfer window of 2025, and safe to say, Barcelona will be pleased by the situation.

As per the official figures released, the Catalan giants’ salary cap has risen from €426 million in the summer of last year to €463.6 million now.

The salary cap limit is the maximum amount that the club can spend during the season after all the operations carried out in the winter and it will dictate the club’s plans of operation for the next window.

It includes spending on players, the coach, assistant coach, other coaches, and fitness coaches of the first team (eligible squad) and spending on the reserve team, the youth academy, and the other sporting sections.

Barcelona’s salary cap had been dropping constantly over the past couple of seasons. From being at €656 million in September 2022, the figure had dropped to just €204 million in February last year.

But the situation has been improving ever since, as the salary limit was raised to €426 million in the summer, following the club executing several sales and securing sponsorship contracts.

The improvement has continued with the figure now set at €463.6 million, marking an increase of a little over €37 million.

Injured Barcelona superstar could return by May with recovery progressing positively

Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s season was cut short earlier in the campaign when the goalkeeper picked up a knee injury against Villarreal.

The German was subsequently ruled out with a long-term injury, with many even ruling him out for the entirety of the campaign.

Ter Stegen’s injury also prompted Barcelona to sign Wojciech Szczesny, who returned from retirement to play.

Ter Stegen making crucial steps in his recovery

However, a recent update from ter Stegen himself has shone some positive light on the goalkeeper’s road to recovery.

The German, through Instagram, posted pictures of himself putting on his boots and gloves, even touching the ball. He posted these photos with the captain, “Another day of progress.”

The report even goes on to suggest that the German international has made some crucial steps in his recovery, having begun working on the pitch earlier this month and now resuming training with the ball.

If the current pace continues, Ter Stegen may even become available at the disposal of Hansi Flick by May, meaning he can potentially end the season with Barcelona.

However, the Catalans won’t be banking too much on his return or to expedite the return of the goalkeeper, who has had problems with injuries far too often in the past few years.

Barcelona already have the goalkeeping spot sorted, with Szczesny serving as the first-choice option and Inaki Pena serving as his immediate alternative.

Barcelona superstar’s frustration at being taken off vs Rayo Vallecano and Flick’s response

FC Barcelona moved to the top of the La Liga standings on Monday night after they secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in Montjuic.

It was far from a straightforward match for the Blaugrana who were made to toil by the visitors, but ultimately a Robert Lewandowski penalty proved enough for the Catalans to walk away with all three points and reclaim pole position in the standings from Real Madrid.

Robert Lewandowski was unhappy at being substituted

One moment that caught the eye during the game was the interaction between Lewandowski and Barcelona manager Hansi Flick following the Pole’s substitution.

It was in the 81st minute that Flick decided to replace his goalscorer on the night with Ferran Torres – something that seemingly did not go well with the veteran centre-forward, as reported by SPORT.

Indeed, as Lewandowski greeted Flick on the touchline after his number came up, cameras captured his frustration, as he made gestures of disagreement.

While it was not an act of defiance from La Liga’s leading goalscorer this season, it was clear he did not agree with the decision.

Mikel Arteta is about to reveal Mikel Merino Arsenal truth as brutal dilemma awaits

Arsenal found their striker for 20 minutes away to Leicester City but the question moving forward is whether or not Mikel Merino can fill the role until the end of the season. Without much of a goalscoring record behind him, it would certainly be a risk.

The argument is that Merino, by sheer physical presence, is the closest player to Kai Havertz in the Arsenal squad, so should continue to take up the centre-forward spot. He was signed to play as a left-sided midfielder like Havertz, after all.

Merino is the latest in a group to try and replace the blend of strength and output that Granit Xhaka brought in 2022/23. Havertz and Declan Rice have both been tried but have found new and different roles instead.

As a natural box-to-box midfielder, Merino fits the bill on paper. He has had a slow start to life in England, though. It has not been helped by injury and a general tightness to the team’s play all season.

On Saturday, Merino answered the call when Arteta needed it most. Struggling to break down a stubborn Leicester defence – and threatened by the odd counter going the other way – Arsenal were desperate for a moment from somewhere.

Up popped Merino to score just his third and fourth goals of the Premier League season. Both came in the form of a Havertz-type strike as well.

Newcastle fire Arsenal clear Alexander Isak transfer message as PSR stance revealed

Newcastle United have dented Arsenal’s hopes of signing Alexander Isak. The 25-year-old striker has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium recently as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his frontline.

Isak, who sees his contract at St. James’ Park expire in June 2028, has featured 23 times in the Premier League this season, scoring 17 goals and providing five assists. Playing a key role in Eddie Howe’s side, the Sweden international has given the Magpies the chance to secure European football qualification.

His impressive performances haven’t gone under the radar, with numerous top clubs reportedly keen to land his signature in the summer. However, according to the MailOnline, Newcastle will not allow their big names to leave – even if they miss out on the Champions League.

The Magpies are currently seventh in the English top-flight, and they’re just three points adrift of Manchester City in fourth. The report states Newcastle are in a strong position from a Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) perspective after cashing in on Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh.

The MailOnline add that Howe wants to ‘keep the bulk of his squad’ and add to it before the start of next season. So, the Magpies have essentially ruled out the departures of Isak, as well as Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes.

Earlier this month, the Newcastle boss was asked just how important the Swede is to the club’s long-term ambitions. Howe said: “We have to try and keep our best players.

Sergio Aguero names shock signing Arsenal need to complete

Former Manchester City star Sergio Aguero has named the player he believes Arsenal should sign this summer.

The Gunners are currently battling to win the Premier League title but are seven points behind leaders Liverpool in the table. Arsenal will also have ambitions of succeeding in the Champions League this term, but the immediate attention will be on the top-flight duties over the next few weeks.

The outcome of the season could impact what transfer business Arsenal will look to complete in the summer. One position that has been widely debated as in need of strengthening in the Gunners squad is a striker, with a host of players being linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Aguero believes that his compatriot, Julian Alvarez, would be a good signing for Arsenal. Alvarez left Man City last summer to complete a €95million (£78.9million) to Atletico Madrid, and Aguero has explained why the striker would help the Gunners amid their current injury issues with Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus on the sidelines.

Striker promotion, Harriman-Annous chance, defender missing – Everything spotted in Arsenal training

Arsenal have begun work ahead of their Premier League clash at home to West Ham. The players have enjoyed some time off following the win at Leicester City and have gone through the dedicated recovery required after the game.

Mikel Arteta led sessions on Tuesday morning which included plenty of young stars in the wake of the injury crisis ongoing at the club. Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Takehiro Tomiyasu were all absent from the session as expected as they look to recover from frustrating injuries.

The first thing seen is that the senior and youth players play in different training kits at the moment. The first team squad wore a matte black and grey training kit whereas the youngsters were in navy.

What this tells us is that 22-year-old Nathan Butler-Oyedeji can be seen wearing the black garment. He therefore has been given a squad promotion, like Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, neither of whom were in the navy strip which is now no surprise.

Where is Jakub Kiwior?

Naturally while spotting the players involved, the checklist comes out to see who was not spotted in training. Despite David Raya being seen, backup goalkeeper Neto was not pictured but the Spaniard was only seen in a group image with no shooting or goalkeeper drills captured.

Forgotten Arsenal duo to play key role in Premier League title challenge after major injury boost

Arsenal have been suffering considerably with injuries throughout the season and continue to be missing key figures like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. Now Kai Havertz has added to that list and will miss the remainder of the campaign following hamstring surgery.

Saka and Martinelli are working hard to be back in the coming weeks and months, but there remain plenty of matches for Mikel Arteta to navigate in the meantime. It will require plenty of outside-the-box thinking with limited attacking options available to him.

However, in other areas of the team, he has been blessed, touch wood, with a rarity of availability. In fact, there are two players he now has access to who have perhaps been forgotten to some degree.

Both Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly have made the right and left, respectively, full-back areas their own. They have climbed the ranks and taken advantage of absences to establish themselves and impress in their showings.

Lewis-Skelly has been a welcome addition and, at just 18 years of age, is a very exciting prospect for both Arsenal and England. A midfielder by trade, his inverted role in the left defensive position has suited Arteta’s style perfectly.

Timber, meanwhile, started life with Ajax as more so a centre-half, but his technical ability has seen him develop nicely into one of the league’s best right-backs. He does, however, lack the offensive traits traditional right-backs have given sides, but the right-attacking pod of Martin Odegaard and Saka has often offset that in the earlier stages of the campaign.

Barcelona veteran’s three key contributions prove vital in 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano

FC Barcelona got a hard-fought win over Rayo Vallecano last night and were rewarded for their suffering and efforts by getting the top position in La Liga.

One can argue that this match was won by some great individual performances from the Blaugrana side. Robert Lewandowski scored the only goal of the game, Wojciech Szczęsny was again key in the goal, while Pedri once again put on a spectacular display that earned him the Man of the Match award.

However, as Mundo Deportivo has noted, the most influential player in this game was none other than the center-back Iñigo Martínez, whose three actions proved to be decisive for his side on the night.

First, it was a foul on him by Pathé Ciss that led to a penalty, which was converted by Robert Lewandowski, and which remained the only goal scored in this game.

The action started with a corner when most of Barcelona’s players were targeting the near post while Iñigo Martínez was attacking the far post. However, Cisse grabbed him in this action, and after the referee missed this action, the VAR intervened to ensure a penalty was awarded to the Blaugranes.

Later, in the dying minutes of the first half, Rayo ended up putting the ball in the back of the net. However, this goal was ruled out for offside, and Martínez was once again in the center of things as while Jorge de Frutos, the scorer, was in an onside position, Randy Nteka was found to be interfering with the run of the Basque defender while being in an offside position. Thus, the goal was chalked off.

Lastly, Martínez was once again key as Rayo once again beat Szczęsny, and sent a shot that was going to end up in the back of the net. However, the former Athletic Club centre-back was able to head the ball out of play, and saved his team once again.