'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In the last year or so, Barcelona have moved away from their previous transfer model. It looks like the days of paying hundreds of millions for superstar names are behind them. Now they are focussed on getting the job done through free agents and lower league transfers.
This second approach is particularly interesting. What they do is scout young players with high potential from the lower leagues and sign them for peanuts. Instead of having them in the squad, they often register them with their subsidiary team, Barca B.
This gives them the chance to observe these players closely and then promote them when they are needed and ready. Pedri and Ronald Araujo are the biggest examples of this, but recently we have seen the likes of Yusuf Demir, Abde Ezzalzouli, and Ferran Jutgla as well. The signing of Pablo Torre is a continuation of this path.
Pablo Torre's background
Pablo Torre is an 18-year-old who currently plays for Racing Santander in the Spanish 3rd division. He hails from the Cantabria region of Spain and is widely considered to be the biggest talent from Racing Santander's academy since Real Betis maestro Sergio Canales.
Torre has been in Racing's academy since 2015 and was called into pre-season training with the first team for the 2020/21 season. He was very impressive and was retained as part of the first-team squad.
In his debut season, Pablo Torre managed 4 goals and 5 assists. This season, he already has 7 goals and 8 assists, averaging a goal contribution every 115 minutes. In the last couple of years, he has represented Spain at U17, U18, and U19 levels.
Playing style
Racing Santander play a 4-2-3-1 system wherein Torre acts as the attacking midfielder or number 10, not unlike what Pedri did at Las Palmas. In a 4-3-3 system, like Barca play, he would function either as the furthest forward midfielder or a pseudo left winger cutting in.
Another interesting option could be using him as a false 9. Coming onto his strengths, Torre has all the traits that Barca usually look for in a midfielder. He is superb technically and reads the game well. He also has enough dribbling ability to beat the opponent's press.
His passing is also top-notch. Defensively, he works hard. All that being said, he is by nature an attacking midfielder and chance creation is his biggest asset. His creativity and vision helps him lay down a number of chances for his strikers. Playing with better teammates will only improve this.
One of Torre's biggest positives is his set-piece ability. He is already the first-choice freekick and corner taker for Racing and has scored a few goals from direct freekick.
Barca, at the moment, do not have any specialist set-piece takers so this is a quality that will be much appreciated. His ability from set pieces has been likened to Christian Eriksen.
Pablo Torre also has the knack of making late runs into the box from a deeper position and a significant portion of his goals come from these runs. This trait could be helpful if Barca ever decide to use him in a false 9 role. A lot of his shots therefore come from either the edge of the box or from just inside it.
It is also important to look at some of his weaknesses. Firstly, he is a bit frail and will require a few hours in the gym to successfully cope with top-level football. We have seen Pedri do that too over the summer.
Although Torre does work defensively, if he has to play as centre-midfield at a high level, he has to develop a better defensive sense and a better understanding of his defensive duties.
Again, we often see players in his position getting carried away with chance creation and therefore keep losing possession cheaply. If Pablo Torre is to play as an interior, he will have to focus on ball retention a tad more, something that Pedri was doing well from day one. Stylistically though, Torre can be compared to someone like Isco.
Future at Barca
Despite interest from the likes of Real Madrid, Barca managed to sign him for just Є5 million plus add-ons. Although based on the announcement that the club made, he will be with Barca B initially, this could change fast.
We have previously seen the likes of Pedri and Demir, who were bought for Barca B, but then were so impressive in pre-season that they were immediately promoted.
The same could end up happening with Pablo Torre, especially considering Riqui Puig is widely expected to leave on loan next season. Interestingly, when asked about it, Barca B manager Sergi Barjuan claimed that Torre was indeed a first-team signing.
It remains to be seen what happens. At FC Barcelona these days, if you are good enough, you are old enough. Could Pablo Torre have an immediate first-team impact like Pedri did? Even if he doesn't, this seems like a transfer in the right direction.
