Report: Barcelona positive about the continuity of Puig while giving him more minutes

According to Gerard Romero, Barcelona are keen to continue on with 21-year-old sensation Riqui Puig who has endured a rather difficult campaign. Puig had effectively been ostracised by Ronald Koeman throughout the season, barely getting the opportunity to express himself on the field.

However, with many talks having been held between Joan Laporta and Koeman, it is safe to say that the club demands a higher standard of excellence from its head coach. With a turbulent first campaign, Koeman will be seeking to utilise a wider range of his squad in order to alternate and create different formulas of success.

His clear bias for dynamic, well-rounded midfield profiles like Pedri and Frenkie de Jong have both been advantageous and worsening for Barça; while a clear plan for the midfield was outlined, players with immense talent but different profiles to the Dutchman’s preference have suffered. Among these players was, most notably, Riqui Puig.

The young starlet brings life and energy, injecting danger into any match with any opportunity he is given. His grasp of the fundamental concepts of positioning makes him a perfect fit for Barça. His technique is wonderful, given his mouth-watering first touch, ball-carrying ability, and passing range. Finally, he is a player of sheer talent; one who can generate chances from thin air.

Having played just shy of 600 minutes throughout the 20/21 campaign, Puig’s talents have been brutally wasted on the bench for a whole year, especially considering his wonderful breakout campaign in the previous year.

His ostracism has left many questions unanswered. Rumors have circulated claiming that the youngster may be on his way out of the Camp Nou on a loan deal. However, the ever-reliable Romero has stressed that the club will definitely be betting on the La Masia graduate next season.

Additionally, it seems that some of Puig’s performances may well have convinced Koeman after all. While not having much of a pre-season or any time at all to come up with suitable preferences in his first season at the Catalan capital, the Dutchman surely has a long summer and an adequate preseason to hopefully reconsider some of his profile preferences in the middle of the park.

The report claims that Koeman will be looking to bet more on Puig in the coming season, who may well become a more important part of the team. His talent is undeniable, even if Koeman does have some kind of personal agenda or not. Either way, the young starlet can bring a lot to his team, and it will certainly be difficult for the 58-year-old gaffer to ignore that.