Barcelona 22-year-old ace embracing leadership responsibilities – ‘Does not scare me in the least’

Barcelona midfield mainstay Pedri is experiencing the best moment of his professional career at the elite level of football.

Having left his injury and fitness woes in the rearview mirror, the Spanish international is thriving this season. So far, he has participated in 35 matches, scored five goals, and provided six assists.

Hansi Flick has used Pedri as part of a double pivot in midfield, offering him continuity and showcasing great trust in him.

The 22-year-old midfielder, who recently renewed his contract with Barça until 2030, discussed his outstanding form, as well as the overall performance of his team, in an interview with EFE (h/t MARCA).

Kicking things off, Pedri talked about his new role in this Barcelona team, operating in a slightly deeper position than he used to in the past, saying:

Even though he is just 22 years old, Pedri is one of the team captains for Barcelona this season and is embracing the responsibility of leadership entrusted to him by Flick.

One of the main factors behind Pedri’s improved performances and fitness levels this season has been the change in the way Barcelona train under the new staff.

The Barcelona captain also gave an insight into the atmosphere in the Barcelona locker room currently, stating:

Barcelona make Premier League’s ‘best striker’ their ‘top target’; Raphinha contract details emerge

Barcelona have reportedly identified Newcastle United ace Alexander Isak as their dream striker signing, while details of Raphinha’s prospective new contract have been revealed.

Barcelona can currently rely on Polish icon Robert Lewandowski up front, and the 36-year-old continues to bang in the goals despite his age. Lewandowski’s record this season stands at a remarkable 31 goals from 33 games in all competitions, which includes strikes in Barca’s last three La Liga matches – all of which have ended in victory.

Despite Lewandowski terrorising opposition defenders, Barca sporting director Deco must prepare for life after the Champions League winner.

Deco has supposedly made Isak his ‘top target’ for the summer, setting up a potential blockbuster bid. Isak would be a statement signing for Barca as Jamie Carragher has labelled him the ‘best striker in the Premier League’ this season.

Barca could resultantly challenge Arsenal for Isak, as Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is known to be a huge admirer of the Sweden international.

The winger has been in stunning form this term, having notched 24 goals and 15 assists in 35 appearances so far. And Barca want to reward Raphinha for his game-changing performances.

Barca were open to selling the 28-year-old last summer amid concrete interest from Saudi Pro League sides, but the player was determined to stay put and become a crucial player under Hansi Flick.

Returning to Barca’s striker situation, Vitor Roque was signed with the idea of eventually succeeding from Lewandowski up front.

Declan Rice reveals why his Arsenal teammates now call him ‘the horse’

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has revealed that his teammates now call him ‘the horse’ due to his strengths and constant running around.

The England international has been a force to be reckoned with since joining the Gunners from West Ham United and is widely regarded as one of the best in his position in the world.

Arsenal have improved significantly in the middle of the park with Rice, going toe-to-toe with Manchester City in the title race in each of the last two seasons while currently challenging Liverpool for the top prize this season.

The Englishman has been very influential in the team, and his teammates have given him a befitting nickname.

Rice is one of the reasons Arsenal can become Premier League winners sooner rather than later, and he will be desperate to keep improving and growing in his craft.

The North Londoners are out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup but remain in the title race and are in the round of 16 of the Champions League, and they will ensure they give their all in both competitions as they have what it takes to win them.

However, despite their strength in the middle of the park and at the back, a lack of quality depth in attack could prove to be their undoing going forward this term.

Arsenal transfer truth revealed after Ollie Watkins move amid ambitious summer plan

Arsenal failed to sign any players during the January transfer window and despite a mightily impressive 5-1 win over Manchester City, the empty deadline day followed up with elimination in the Carabao Cup by Newcastle has soured the mood. Unsurprisingly, plenty of misconceptions have since grown from the rubble of the first month of 2025.

The idea that Arsenal moved too late for Ollie Watkins, for example, or that they offered an amount that Aston Villa would never entertain, is simply not the case.

What Arsenal did offer was considered a very fair and reasonable proposal and stood among the highest ever made for a Premier League player by a fellow English top-flight club for someone in Watkins’ age bracket. Sadly it was not enough to change the position of Unai Emery’s side.

Despite initial reports suggesting the offer was £60million, this was in fact only in the ballpark that Villa were looking for to begin serious conversations over a move. It was a figure Arsenal felt was too high and, therefore, did not return with a second offer, preferring instead to wait until the summer to make a move for another of their targets such as Benjamin Sesko.

Arsenal handed major Benjamin Sesko transfer boost as RB Leipzig stance emerges

Arsenal have learned of an update regarding the future of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko amid recent transfer speculation.

The Gunners were heavily linked with signing a new centre forward during the January transfer window, but did not make any new additions to their squad. The rumours intensified after the season-ending injury to Gabriel Jesus, while Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are also on the sidelines recovering from hamstring injuries.

There were rumours in January that Arsenal were considering an offer to sign Sesko on loan until the end of the season amid their lack of striker options.

Now a fresh update has emerged about Sesko’s future, which will hand a major boost to Arsenal. Fabrizio Romano has reported that there is an “understanding” between Sesko and Leipzig that the striker will have an opportunity to join a new club in the summer.

Real Madrid in talks to sign Arsenal superstar in record-breaking deal

Real Madrid have held talks with the representatives of an Arsenal ace who cannot wait to play alongside Kylian Mbappe, though the Gunners will ensure they receive a record-breaking fee, according to a report.

The bulk of Arsenal’s strongest starting XI are either in the prime of their careers or have their best years still to come.

One player who has already reached superstar status despite being just 23 years of age is centre-back William Saliba.

Alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, the duo have combined to form one of the strongest centre-back pairings in recent Premier League history.

However, Real Madrid – known to be on the hunt for a top tier centre-half who can make an instant impact next season – could torpedo Arsenal’s project.

And worryingly for Arsenal, the report claimed talks with Saliba’s camp have already taken place regarding a summer switch.

Furthermore, it’s then stated Saliba ‘considers the Madrid club as the ultimate dream of his career, and the prospect of playing with his friend Kylian Mbappe, also from Bondy (an area of Paris), is a strong argument in his thinking.’

Arsenal value their star man at an even £100m. A move at that price point would obliterate the record for the most expensive defender transfer of all time.

The current record is still held by Harry Maguire via his £80m switch from Leicester to Manchester United in 2019. At £100m, Saliba’s potential deal would add an extra £20m to the record.

On the subject of whether Real Madrid would actually be willing to pay such an amount, the report claimed the LaLiga giant are well aware signing a player of Saliba’s calibre won’t come cheaply.

Barcelona on track to beat the scoring record of some of their best teams in history

This FC Barcelona team has made a clear leap since the arrival of Hansi Flick on their bench. This improvement is quite evident in all aspects of the team’s performance and results.

However, the one area that has shown the most improvement this season is that of goal scoring, as Mundo Deportivo notes that the Blaugranes are scoring at such a high rate that they can end up shattering all their previous records by the end of this season.

In total, the Catalans have played 36 games, 23 in La Liga, 8 in the UEFA Champions League, 3 in Copa del Rey, and 2 in the Spanish Super Cup. In these games, they have scored 113 goals, i.e., 3 more than they did in their entire last season.

Similarly, this number is also 12 goals more than they scored in the 2022-23 season and 27 goals more than they scored in the 2021-22 season.

Barcelona have reached these numbers on the back of the very good form shown by two forwards in particular, i.e., Robert Lewandowski, who has 31 goals to his name this season, 19 goals in La Liga, and Raphinha, who currently has 24 goals.

Other starters like Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo, and substitutes like Ferran Torres have also scored a considerable number of goals, keeping the Catalans on track to beat the records of even some of the best teams in the club’s history.

They can do so if they continue to maintain a scoring average of 3 goals per game. Hypothetically, the Blaugranes can reach 61 games this season, which means they can score more than the 190 goals that Lionel Messi and his teammates scored during the 2011-12

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona close to breaking a 21st century record currently held by Luis Enrique’s 2014-15 team

There is no doubt that this season, FC Barcelona is one of the most effective and entertaining teams playing in Europe. Their offensive capability was fully on display in the last game against Sevilla, when they were able to win with a 1-4 scoreline despite having to play most part of the second half with a numerical disadvantage.

The Blaugranes have been scoring at such good a rate that they are on track to beating the scoring records of some of the best teams in the club’s history, i.e., Pep Guardiola’s team of the 2011-12 season and Luis Enrique’s team of the 2014-15 season.

In addition to reaching their historical records, Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona can reach another record in the coming few matches which will go on to showcase their offensive prowess, i.e., the record of scoring five or more goals in the highest number of games.

Up to now, the Blaugranes have scored at least five goals in 11 games, against Valladolid (7-0), Villarreal (1-5), Young Boys (5-0), Sevilla (5-1), Red Star (2-5), Mallorca (1-5), Real Madrid (2-5), Real Betis (5-1), Benfica (4-5) and Valencia (7-1 and 0-5).

Thus, the Catalans are scoring at least 5 goals in 30%, or every third, of their games this season. This figure does not include the number of games in which the Blaugranes scored 4 goals, as was the case against Bayern Munich in UCL and Real Madrid and Sevilla in La Liga.

As things stand, the record for scoring the highest number of manitas in Europe in the 21st century is held by Luis Enrique’s Barcelona of the 2014-15 season, in which the Blaugranes, led by the forward line of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez, scored at least 5 goals in 13 matches.

Thus, Hansi Flick’s side needs only 2 more manitas to reach this historic number, and only 1 more five-goal win to reach the records from the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, when Luis Enrique and the MSN forward line were still at Barcelona and scored 12 manitas.

Barcelona winger on track to outperform Real Madrid star’s ‘Ballon d’Or worthy’ season

Raphinha is enjoying the best season of his career by some distance and is one of Barcelona’s most decisive players in attack. The numbers, in fact, put him as one of Europe’s best and a serious contender for the Ballon d’Or.

Any talk of the prestigious award distributed by France Football and UEFA at this point brings up the topic of Vinicius Jr,. who Real Madrid claim was snubbed of the award last year when Rodri was named the winner.

A comparison of Raphinha’s numbers this year to Vinicius’ last term, surprisingly, shows Raphinha’s dominance and its magnitude.

The best Brazilian footballer

Last season was Vinicius’ best year in a Real Madrid shirt and the calls for him to win the Ballon d’Or were based on his staggering numbers of 25 goals and 12 assists.

Just over halfway through the season and Raphinha already has 24 goals to his name. Added to that, he has provided 13 assists and is thus one assist above his compatriot’s numbers for last season.

Guardiola praises Hansi Flick’s Barcelona – ‘One of the best versions in recent years’

Former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team is gearing up for a crucial tie against Real Madrid this midweek.

The two teams are set to take each other on in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout playoffs.

Heading into this game, Guardiola spoke to the press, where he notably talked about Barcelona.

Guardiola on Barcelona’s form this season

When talking about Real Madrid, Guardiola brought up Barcelona and how they have performed under Hansi Flick this season.

The Man City manager even called the current rendition of Barcelona as one of the best versions of the club.

“At the moment, this is probably one of the best versions of Barcelona in recent years. The team is performing exceptionally this season, and we can compare it to the best versions of Barcelona,” he said (h/t AS).

Guardiola’s statement is hardly surprising as Barcelona have indeed reached new heights under the leadership of Flick.

As a matter of fact, the Catalans are closing in on a historic achievement, having already scored five goals in a single game 11 times this season.

Guardiola, for his part, has taken note of Barcelona’s form this season, though the Catalan will be more worried about Real Madrid this week.

Indeed, Real Madrid are set to take on the Premier League giants on Tuesday, though the reigning European champions are heading into this game with a depleted squad.

Guardiola, though, highlighted that Real Madrid are serial winners and praised their consistency.