With the international break upon us, we can spare a moment to check up on the 8 Barcelona players who were loaned out in the summer. Let's remind ourselves of them:
1. Eric GarcÃa thriving in Girona.
I truly did not expect this. Eric GarcÃa somehow has managed to impress Michel greatly. So much so, that the young defender has featured in 7 games for a high flying Girona this season, starting 5 of them. He has even scored a goal, against Villarreal .He's played a total of 479 minutes so far and is making really good use of the loan opportunity.
2. Pablo Torre continues to struggle for minutes.
Many thought Pablo would walk straight into the Girona starting XI and show Xavi what he's been missing. But it turns out that Michel isn't too convinced by him either. Girona's midfielders are performing at a high level at the moment and it's hard to see him benching any of them. He's yet to start a game and has been subbed on for 7, playing for a total of 116 minutes so far this season. The positive is that most of those minutes came.im the last 4 games, so maybe he's beginning to edge his way in.
3. Ansu Fati rising from the ashes at Brighton.
The Amex faithful are gradually beginning to see what all the noise is about regarding Ansu Fati. He has featured in 10 games for DeZerbi this season, starting in 3 of them, including one in Europe. He has scored his first goal for the club, even though it was the only bright spot in a 6-1 defeat to Unai Emery's Aston Villa. Brighton will have a lot of games coming up, and everyone can see Ansu starting more and contributing more as he gets back to his best.
4. Clement Lenglet slumbering in Villa Park.
The french defender was so sure he still had something to offer in Europe, turning down other opportunities that would've benefited him and Barcelona. However, his second turn to the Premier League has been less rosy than the first so far. Lenglet has contributed very little to their high flying form at the moment (they're currently 5th), featuring as a sub in only 2 games.
5. Sergiño Dest with a golden chance at PSV.
The American was certainly out of place in Xavi's setup, but he seems to have settled in PSV Eindhoven. They dutch outfit are currently top of the league and also play in the champions league, an ideal platform for him to market himself. He's started 4 games for Eindhoven, playing a total of 350 minutes.
6. Julian Araujo takes off at Las Palmas.
The other Barcelona Araujo has been (almost) everything we envisioned him to be, being an Araujo afterall...
Garcia Pimienta, the coach of the newly promoted side, has counted on him big time this season, giving him 501 minutes in 7 games, the most of any of the Barcelona loanees. And he's contributed greatly to their current form as they seat 10th in the standings. You can say he's having the most successful loan spell so far.
7. Ez Abde trying to shine in Seville.
The Moroccan seems quite sure of his quality to demand a starting spot in Barcelona. That couldn't be guaranteed, so he left for Betis, his club of choice. He hasn't gotten the regular starting spot he's looking for, although his experience in Betis hasn't gone badly so far, featuring in 5 games and playing a total of 191 minutes, along with scoring a goal.
8. Nico Gonzalez growing in Portugal.
The Spanish midfielder was way below the midfield ranking in Barcelona, especially due to an unsuccessful spell in Valencia, so he was loaned out again, this time to a champions league side. Porto are an experienced squad, so it'll be difficult for him to break through, but he's played 5 games so far, amassing about 107 mins. 85 of those minutes were against Portimonense where he got his first start. More minutes to come for the youngster.
Who will have the greatest success at the end of the season? Who would you want back in Barcelona next summer? Let us know in the comments 👇