Barcelona 32-year-old defender expected to continue with club till the summer

Barcelona shuffled their defence around this season, bringing in Inigo Martinez from Athletic Club on a free transfer, and Joao Cancelo on a loan move from Manchester City to reinforce the full-back position.

While Cancelo took over the right-back role immediately, making it his own, Inigo took some time growing into the starting lineup. His debut against Osasuna, in fact, left some doubts among the Barcelona faithful.

He made the most of Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo’s unavailability, though, as he slotted in against Athletic Club, and put in an excellent shift.

Xavi trusted him heading into subsequent games as a starter over Andreas Christensen, and the defender did not put a foot wrong, eventually winning over the trust of the coaches and fans alike.

Inigo will continue to fight for a starting spot against Christensen and Jules Kounde through the rest of the season, but his prominence has meant a certain Marcos Alonso has lost his place in the team.

The Spaniard becomes a free agent next summer, and the doors for his exit seemed to be open in January, as well, with Barcelona hoping to register Vitor Roque, and potentially another player if push came to shove.

Mundo Deportivo, however, report that Alonso will continue at Barcelona beyond January, and up until the summer, at the very least.

His current deal includes an option for an automatic renewal if he plays half of the games he is available for, but that seems highly unlikely at this point.

A tight defence

Barcelona may have lost Jordi Alba in the summer on a free transfer, but by bringing in Inigo Martinez and Joao Cancelo, they have added a lot of depth to their defence in multiple ways.

While Cancelo’s continuity beyond this season is not guaranteed, Barcelona will likely be in the market looking for another fullback since Sergi Roberto is not expected to stay at the club next season.