End of the movie Riqui Puig in Barcelona. The eternal Barça promise will leave at the age of 22 for the US MLS, a destiny more typical of illustrious veterans than of young talents. Los Angeles Galaxy will finally be her new home after no option appeared that would convince her in LaLiga and in Europe.
Years passed, coaches passed and Riqui He kept seeing how other ‘teenagers’ passed him: first Pedri, then Ilaix, Gavi, Nico and now even Pablo Torre. It seemed that the arrival of Xavi could change the scenario, but neither. The Egarense coach gave him 90 minutes in Mallorca and because there were only two first-team midfielders available and he only gave him continuity in the final stretch of last year. With the Champions League assured, he played the last four league games (the one for Getafe as a whole) in which he accumulated 165 minutes, almost a third of the 525 that Koeman, Sergi and Xavi gave him last year. In two years he has only played three full games.
Ernest Valverde, which made him debut in December 2018 (in the Cup against Cultural Leonesa), he only used him again in two more league games that season and did not give him a minute in the next. His luck seemed to change with Quique Setien, who started betting on him. He was decisive in the victory against Granada in the premiere of the new coach and starter in the following match, the Cup in Ibiza. He sang in the local goal and from there he lost the confidence of the coach, who only gave him continuity in the last month of the League, although in the Champions League he did not give him ball: in the round of 16 against Naples he preferred to make his debut monchu and Riqui watched Lisbon 2-8 from the bench.
From shadow to shadow
Since making his debut three and a half years ago, he has only played 1,937 minutes, in which he has contributed two goals and three assists. Koeman put the cross on him two seasons ago when he left him off the Joan Gamper trophy list and urged him to find a team. When RAC-1 made this conversation public, the coach accused him of being a “filterer.” Ilaix Moriba went ahead of him and, although Riqui ended up participating in 24 games, in almost all of them it was less than half an hour and only one full game against Alavés.
Joan Laporta He expressed in public and in private his wish that Riqui would have more opportunities under his mandate, calling him a “strategic player for the club”. But with Koeman he barely had four little moments and, despite the fact that Sergio Barjuan He made him play in two of his three games on the bench, Xavi hardly gave the heir to his number 6 a ball.
Related news
In case there were doubts, the Barcelona coach did not take him to the US tour, making it clear that he was not going to count on him this season either. Ironies of fate Riqui will finally go to the US to play in the MLS. His departure has to be finalized in the next few hours because the MLS market closes on Thursday.
One month to clarify seven cases
It will be necessary to see what happens with the rest of the discarded ones since, with the exception of Minguezathe rest (Braithwaite, Umtiti and Neto) are still waiting for destination. Pjanic, another who was on the starting ramp, seems to be convincing Xavi as a replacement for Busquets in the pivot. The Bosnian midfielder would be willing to lower his salary to stay, something that at the moment he does not contemplate Frankie de Jong. The Dutchman is still shown the door just like his compatriot memphis depay, who knows that with the ‘overbooking of forwards, he will have few minutes. How could it happen to him? destination if Azpilicueta arrives. It will be necessary to see how many of them are still at the Camp Nou on September 1 at 11:59 p.m., market closing time.