Barcelona Players ‘Furious’ After Being Separated From First-Team Training as Club Pushes for Exits

Several Barcelona players have reportedly been left furious by the club’s decision to separate them from first-team training while their futures are resolved during the summer transfer window.

Marc Casadó is among a group of players currently working away from Hansi Flick’s main squad as Barcelona attempt to complete a number of departures before the transfer window closes.

Héctor Fort, Jofre Torrents, Tommy Marqués, Guille Fernández and Toni Fernández have also reportedly been affected by the decision.

Barcelona’s reasoning is largely financial and practical rather than disciplinary. The Catalan giants want to avoid players who are expected to leave suffering injuries that could cause their proposed transfers to collapse.

But that explanation has apparently done little to ease the frustration of some members of the group.

Reports in Spain indicate several of the affected players are angry about being separated from their teammates while they technically remain Barcelona players.

Why Barcelona Have Separated Six Players From Training

The decision comes after Barcelona received a painful reminder of how quickly a transfer plan can change because of an injury.

Roony Bardghji suffered a serious knee injury in training at a time when the club was working towards his departure.

The Swedish winger had been among the players Barcelona were prepared to move on this summer, but his injury complicated those plans considerably.

Barça do not want the same thing happening again.

As a result, players currently considered likely to leave have been placed on individual or separate training programmes while sporting director Deco and the club’s management work on finding solutions for their futures.

From Barcelona’s perspective, the strategy reduces risk.

From a player’s perspective, however, the situation can feel very different.

These footballers remain contracted to Barcelona and some are understandably disappointed at being removed from normal first-team preparations before their departures have actually been completed.

Marc Casadó Among Biggest Names Affected

Casadó is undoubtedly the most recognisable player involved.

The midfielder emerged from La Masia and previously demonstrated that he could contribute at first-team level.

However, his position within Flick’s squad has changed significantly.

Competition in Barcelona’s midfield is enormous, and Casadó has gradually fallen down the hierarchy.

The 22-year-old has previously been reluctant to leave because of his strong connection with Barcelona and his ambition to succeed at the club where he developed.

Eventually, however, the lack of guaranteed playing time made a summer departure increasingly realistic.

Barcelona are now actively working to find a solution.

Barcelona Want Around €30m for Casadó

Casadó could also provide Barcelona with a valuable transfer fee.

The midfielder has attracted interest from Saudi Arabia, with Al-Hilal among the clubs linked with a move.

Barcelona reportedly believe they can generate around €30million from his departure.

Selling an academy graduate can be particularly useful financially because the transfer fee represents significant accounting profit for the club.

But Casadó’s situation is not simply about money.

At 22, he has reached an important stage of his development.

Spending another season playing limited minutes behind Barcelona’s established midfielders could slow his progress considerably.

A move where he becomes a regular starter may ultimately make sense for both sides, even if the circumstances surrounding his potential departure are uncomfortable.

Héctor Fort Also Told to Find New Club

Fort is another academy graduate whose future appears to lie away from Barcelona.

The young defender has been informed that he should look for another club this summer and is currently training separately while his situation is resolved.

Premier League clubs have been linked with the defender.

Everton and Fulham have both been mentioned among potential destinations, while Barcelona could attempt to protect themselves by including a buy-back option if Fort leaves permanently.

Such an agreement would allow the youngster to gain regular senior football while giving Barça the possibility of bringing him back if his development accelerates elsewhere.

It is a strategy Barcelona have previously used with promising academy players who cannot immediately be guaranteed a place in the senior squad.

Four More Youngsters Training Away From Main Group

The decision extends beyond Casadó and Fort.

Jofre Torrents, Tommy Marqués, Toni Fernández and Guille Fernández have also been kept away from normal first-team group training while Barcelona work on their futures.

Their situations are not identical.

Jofre has been linked with a move to Ajax, while some of the other youngsters could leave on loan rather than being sold permanently.

For those players, a temporary move could provide valuable senior experience.

Barcelona’s academy continues to produce talented youngsters, but the quality of Flick’s first-team squad means there simply are not enough minutes available for everyone.

The challenge for the club is deciding which youngsters should stay, which should develop elsewhere temporarily and which should be sold.

Players Reportedly Unhappy With Barcelona’s Treatment

It is the manner in which Barcelona are handling those decisions that has created controversy.

The club’s position is understandable from a transfer perspective.

Allowing a player who is close to leaving to participate fully in intense training creates the possibility of an injury destroying weeks of negotiations.

Bardghji’s situation demonstrated that risk.

But footballers can understandably view the issue differently.

Until a transfer is completed, they remain Barcelona players.

Being separated from teammates can therefore feel like being pushed out before a new club has even been secured.

Reports that some members of the group are furious suggest the decision has created tension behind the scenes.

There is no suggestion that the players have been removed because of disciplinary problems.

Instead, Barcelona appear to have made a calculated decision designed to protect potential transfer operations.

That distinction is important.

Hansi Flick Already Has His Preferred Squad Taking Shape

Barcelona’s approach also shows that Flick is moving quickly towards establishing the group he wants for the new season.

Pre-season is normally the period when managers experiment with large squads and give fringe players opportunities to impress.

But as competitive football approaches, those squads need to become smaller.

Flick now needs to focus his training sessions on players who are genuinely expected to feature during the campaign.

Keeping footballers who are negotiating departures heavily involved can make that process more difficult.

Barcelona have therefore chosen a more ruthless approach.

Those expected to stay train together.

Those being prepared for departures work separately while negotiations continue.

It may make sporting sense, but it is unlikely to make the players affected feel any better.

Barcelona Trying to Avoid Another Bardghji Situation

Ultimately, Bardghji’s injury appears to have accelerated the decision.

Barcelona had been working on his exit when the winger suffered a serious knee problem in training.

A player can go from being close to a transfer to effectively becoming impossible to move within seconds.

Barça do not want that scenario repeated with Casadó or any of the other players currently attracting interest.

That is why the club have decided not to take unnecessary risks.

The approach is particularly understandable with players whose negotiations have already reached an important stage.

One training-ground injury could cost Barcelona millions of euros and leave the club with a player who was not part of Flick’s plans.

A Difficult Situation for Barcelona’s Academy Players

There is also a broader issue surrounding Barcelona’s extraordinary production of young talent.

La Masia continues to provide the first team with promising footballers, but not everyone can follow the path of Lamine Yamal, Gavi or Pau Cubarsí.

Some talented academy graduates inevitably find their route blocked.

Casadó is perhaps the clearest example.

He has already demonstrated that he can compete at senior level, but Barcelona’s midfield contains numerous high-level options.

The problem is therefore not necessarily a lack of talent.

It is a lack of opportunity.

That makes departures inevitable.

Transfer Window Could Resolve Tension Quickly

The uncomfortable situation may not last much longer for some of the players.

Barcelona are actively working on their departures and negotiations involving several members of the group are progressing.

Once transfers are completed, the controversy surrounding separate training will naturally disappear.

Until then, however, there is potential for further tension.

Barcelona believe they are protecting valuable transfer operations after seeing what happened with Bardghji.

Some of the players reportedly see things differently and are unhappy about being excluded from normal first-team work while they remain under contract.

Both positions are understandable.

But the situation provides another reminder of the ruthless side of elite football.

Casadó and the other affected youngsters remain Barcelona players for now.

At the same time, the club’s decision to remove them from normal first-team training sends an unmistakable message about where they stand.

Barcelona are already preparing for life without them.