Flick may resort to La Masía after Íñigo Martínez's departure: What are the options?

Íñigo Martínez's departure during this summer market represents a tough blow at a sporting level for FC Barcelona. However, for now, coach Hansi Flick still has enough players so that his tactical scheme can cope with the absence of the Basque player.

Thus, the coach, in principle, could add Gerard Martín to the center-back area, as he was already testing him in preseason. However, the technical director, aware of the quality and talent in the lower categories of the Azulgrana team, could also look there.

It is worth remembering that the German coach has always been happy with the work at La Masía; furthermore, when he has needed it, he has used players from Barça Atlètic in the first team, showing that he doesn't hesitate.

Flick's alternatives to reinforce Barça's defensive area

Flick has a great variety of players who play both in Barça Atlètic and in the youth teams. That is why at FCBN we want to present some of those profiles that he could promote to the first team for the 2025/26 season.

• Nico Marcipar (17 years old): left-footed defender in whom the club has placed high expectations. He recently made his debut with Barça Atlètic.
• Álex Campos (17 years old): Flick already had him in his training sessions last season. He is a right-footed center-back with a lot of power and a good touch on the ball that can also allow him to play as a midfielder.
• Landry Farré (18 years old): The right-footed center-back, although he did not travel with the team to the Asian tour, is a very complete profile, since in addition to playing as a right-back, he can also do so as a left-footed center-back and it would not be strange to see him constantly training with the first team.
• Andrés Cuenca (18 years old): left-footed defender whom Hansi Flick knows very well, as he made him debut last season in the 5-0 victory against Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League, where he replaced Íñigo Martínez in the 84th minute. He has a great ball output.
• Hafiz Gariba (18 years old): He is a defender of great stature, with remarkable ability to play out from the back thanks to his good touch on the ball. Although he is right-footed, he shows ease acting on the left side of the defense.
• Alexis Olmedo (19 years old): 19-year-old right-footed center-back, who has already trained on several occasions under Flick's orders, in addition to being part of the 2024 preseason. He can also stand out as a right-back.
• Álvaro Cortés (20 years old): Left-footed defender who stands out for his physical strength and has already had direct contact with Flick, as he has been part of the first team's training sessions.
• Mamadou Mbacke (22 years old): He is a right-footed center-back who saw his progress halted in the 24/25 season due to injuries. However, it seems that his future is far from Barça, although he still has a contract until 2026 and could receive a call from Hansi.

Barça's defense, an area that is burning

After Íñigo Martínez's departure, Barça still has five defenders if Gerard Martín is finally eligible by Flick for that demarcation. 

Pau Cubarsí, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen and Eric García complete the list of defenders for the club. However, the roles may vary during the next year, as the '24', it seems, will share the right-back position with Jules Koundé. 

For now, Flick still has several players, as it is not expected that anyone else will leave the club in the coming days, at least in this demarcation.