FC Barcelona is working at full speed to avoid any setbacks ahead of the start of the 2025/26 season. That is why the club wants to have all the players registered even before the Joan Gamper Trophy and is confident that it will be able to do so.
Thus, Joan García, Marcus Rashford, Roony Bardghji (who is expected to have a reserve team registration) and the recently renewed Wojciech Szczęsny are joined by Gerard Martín as another of the players who must be registered by the first team.
Gerard Martín's registration, among Barça's priorities
The left-back, whose performance in the 2024/25 season has left coach Hansi Flick very satisfied, remains part of the coach's plans for the new season.
However, the player played the matches with a reserve team registration, so, after his renewal last January until 2028, the club must proceed with the corresponding update to formalize his registration in the first team, as part of the agreement of his contract extension.
Gerard Martín, Balde's replacement for the left-back position
In this context, the German coach sees the '35' as Alejandro Balde's replacement, pending what is decided with Jofre Torrents, who is doing the pre-season with Barça and is a player that Flick also likes a lot.
However, for the moment, Gerard Martín is the one who has the advantage to compete for the place with the '3' of the Blaugrana team. And so far, the '35' has not disappointed the German coach.
Flick is clear that he wants to have the 23-year-old defender from the start of the season, which is why his registration is as important as that of Joan García, Rashford or Szczęsny, just before the official start of the league competition.
The coaching staff's confidence in the native of Sant Andreu was fully demonstrated when they decided to put him (after Balde presented physical problems) in the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, which Barça ended up winning 3-2 in extra time.
In addition to giving him the opportunity to play in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Inter Milan at San Siro, where he provided a couple of assists.
Will Gerard Martín be able to consolidate himself in Barça 2025/26?
Gerard Martín arrived at Barcelona's first team generating many doubts among the fans, mainly because Balde, since his emergence in the Blaugrana team, took over the left side without another player capable of disputing the position.
However, the '35', when he had to enter the field in his first season as part of the first team, pleasantly surprised both the coaching staff and the fans. He closed the 24/25 season participating in 42 matches (1,793 minutes) with 1 goal and 6 assists.
Now, the upcoming season presents a more complex scenario for Gerard, as the Barcelona team will seek to revalidate what they achieved last season (League, Cup and Spanish Super Cup) and must fight again with Balde to enjoy quality minutes.