Barcelona decided not to keep Joao Cancelo in 2024, but re-signing him now makes sense
Cancelo is not the centre-back Hansi Flick was after, but he is a defensive reinforcement at a time when Barca need that most
Here we go again, with Barcelona on the verge of signing Joao Cancelo on loan for the rest of the season.
No, this is not 2023, but Barca’s reality in 2026. Portugal international Cancelo will provide defensive reinforcement after a knee injury suffered by Andreas Christensen, which left Hansi Flick’s squad facing a crisis of personnel at the back.
That didn’t stop them dismantling Athletic Club 5-0 in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday night, though Barca were not truly tested and began the game with Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal on the bench. Flick’s side will face the winner of Thursday’s semi-final — Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid — in Sunday’s final.
Away from the pitch, the news is focused on the shortage of bodies Flick had in his defensive line — he had only five fit senior defenders available against Athletic and all were involved. The German manager publicly asked for signings in this position, and his plea is about to be fulfilled with the arrival of Cancelo.
The Athletic reported in Tuesday’s Transfer DealSheet that Barca were in talks to sign the 31-year-old full-back from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal on a short-term deal. The Catalans are hopeful of announcing the move this week.
Cancelo’s arrival comes after Christensen was sidelined for months — meaning his injury is expected to count as long-term under La Liga’s salary limit rules (more on that later).
Ronald Araujo has just returned to the team after being granted a period of absence in November, but there is no time frame for when he might play again. All of which means that Flick has five players — Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Alejandro Balde — for four positions in defence.
“(Sporting director) Deco and I discussed a lot of things,” Flick said when asked about Cancelo’s signing on Tuesday. “When Ronald gets back, we will have more options at centre-back. With Joao, we’d have more options at full-back, too, on both sides. He has good quality on the offensive end. As far as I know, the signing is not done yet, but if it works out, I will be happy.”
It tells you something about the world of transfers that in summer 2024, Barcelona had the possibility to sign Cancelo after an uninspiring season-long loan — but opted not to.
Now, in a way, his signing makes sense.
Flick initially wanted the club to bring in a centre-back on loan this transfer window. His preferred target was Manchester City’s Nathan Ake, who has made just six starts for Pep Guardiola’s team this season.
Hansi Flick’s preferred target was Manchester City centre-back Nathan Ake (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
