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#3 Samuel Umtiti
Arguably the most expendable player at Barcelona right now, Umtiti has experienced a downfall of epic proportions. After being a regular starter at defence, just 3 years back, Umtiti is now a shadow of his former self. Newcomer Eric Garcia is not even a registered player for Barcelona presently, but it is safe to assume that the French defender is already behind him in the pecking order.
However, the most unfathomable outcome of this unfortunate ordeal is that Umtiti is earning an annual salary that is more than his current market value. The 27-year-old defender collects a pay check of €12m every year while his market value has dropped to €11m as of now. This fact is hurting his current employers more than his constant unavailability.
Big Sam's never-ending struggles with injuries have been a prominent factor in his ousting. He was even subject to a proposal, where Barcelona offered to terminate his contract by mutual agreement. Yet Umtiti decided not to comply.
Barcelona's desperate need to recruit defenders is the only string of hope for the Cameroon-born athlete. Even though he seems to be past his prime, at such a young age, if he can display a fraction of his past performances in pre-season, Barca might just hang onto him as a viable squad player, though, on much less wages.
#2 Alex Collado
The only player from Barcelona B on this list, Alex Collado was only named captain of the third-tier side last season. But the 22-year-old winger has proved to be too good for his division with his stellar performances. Having only played twice for Barcelona, Collado is deemed ready by his superiors to join the first team if reports are to be believed. With Francisco Trincao having departed the club on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers, the La Masia graduate could be his ideal replacement.
The only roadblock to his expected rise to prominence could be the sheer number of attacking options Barcelona possesses at the moment. With the addition of Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero, and the return of Ansu Fati, the Blaugrana have at least 7 offensive players, excluding Collado, and just 3 positions to play them in. These kinds of selection headaches may be beneficial for the club, but will only hamper the progress of players who aren't utilized.
In order to make the right wing position his own and eventually try and succeed Messi at Barcelona in the long term, Alex Collado has to prove a lot of doubters wrong and a formidable pre-season with the first team would be a good place to start.
#1 Riqui Puig
At the center of all the selection debates, Riqui Puig has had the trickiest season of them all. While clearly skilled, Puig started a meager 3 games for Barcelona in Koeman's first year at the helm, with a further 20 substitute appearances that mostly came in the final moments of the match. The La Masia graduate has shown glimpses of his talent and in those moments of brilliance, has managed to win over the majority of fans. However, owing to some differences with Koeman, the Spanish midfielder has hardly received a chance to make his mark at Barcelona.
The Dutch manager has insisted that he has 'nothing against' Puig, stating:
"I have nothing against Riqui Puig. We have very young players like Konrad, Matheus and Junior who don’t have many minutes, but you always think I’m talking about Riqui. I have no problem with him, we talk often. His future? He has to decide."
The naturally gifted playmaker has stupendous dribbling abilities and can also hold the ball during build-up play. An active progressor of the ball, Puig managed to maintain a 91.6 pass success percentage in the limited game-time he was designated.
This comes off as a special case where a player is adamant to stay even though his manager clearly doesn't fancy him a lot. Therefore, Puig has more to prove to Koeman than the Barcelona hierarchy as it is evident that the youngster already has Joan Laporta's backing to his advantage.
With Koeman's future more uncertain than Puig's, it would be interesting to see how their relationship develops down the line. Nevertheless, this pre-season might be the 22-year-old midfielder's best chance to impress his boss and solidify his position prior to the commencement of the 2021/22 season.
