Barcelona’s limited budget means they can only spend big on a player this summer, unfortunately, they had to do so on a secondary target, Dani Olmo after being left in limbo by their priority, Nico Williams.
In recent years, the Catalan giants has been actively re-embracing a Spanish-core philosophy, a strategy that has historically brought the club immense success, also thanks to their proficient Academy of La Masia.
This summer has seen the return of Dani Olmo, ten years following his departure from the clubs Academy at the age of 16, when he joined Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb. However, the former RB Leipzig man wasn’t the priority had things gone as planned with Athletic Club winger Nico Williams. Olmo is rather a signing out of spite. As much as they appeared justified given the 26-year-old’s dazzling display in the Euros, Fermin Lopez’s Olympics outing complicated their choice.
Even though it was reported that Barcelona is gunning for both Nico and Olmo, the reality of their financial situation makes it unrealistic. And that has been made clearer since the completion of their move for Olmo, which literally signaled the end of their pursuit of Nico.
Now that the deed is done, we might as well explore the intricacies of the tradition down the years, and how this does not appear to be how things were done, albeit it might also work out in this way.
Spanish core : A long-term Barcelona strategy, that works
When the Spanish national team kicked off their dominance in the latter years of the 2010s, Barcelona had a large percentage of their major starter, and went on to capitalize by signing those they could amongst the players to add to their ranks.
Seeing how their players combined well with some of the other playetrs in the national team, the club was more than tempted to recreate the chemistry at Camp Nou, and they were successful in their attempt.
They eventually signed David Villa from Valencia and the Spaniard went on to make a total of 119 appearances, scored 48 goals and added 24 assists in three seasons before departing for around €5.1 million in 2013.
The union with David Villa was productive as the Barcelona won eight titles with him, including two LaLiga and one UEFA Champions League titlesIn the same summer they signed Villa, Barcelona also tried to force a move for Cesc Fàbregas from Arsenal. However a deal could not materialize until the summer after, in 2011.
Those they could not sign represented Real Madrid or a Fernando Torres who secured a £50 million British record move to Chelsea around that period. A return to the strategy that works Looking at what happened in the UEFA European Championship this summer with the duo of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams wrecking havocs on opposite flanks for Spain, Barcelona was impressed and made efforts to recreate just that at the club.
Unfortunately, Athletic Club was not ready to let go of their own star even after the Catalan giants made several attempts, including trying to force a false narrative. Barcelona approached Nico Williams without the consent of his club while the 22-year-old was on international duty with Spain in the Euros. Their intention was to capitalize on the bromance between him and Yamal to convince him for a move.
Several attempts but no progress was made. Even after the tournament, when speculations intensified, there was never any indication from the player’s side, leaving the club in limbo. While Barcelona continued to hope for Nico Williams, they considered Dani Olmo as a secondary option and in no time, an agreement was eventually reached with RB Leipzig as every attempt proved futile with Nico.
However, Olmo was rather hungry of a return to his home.
Dani Olmo : Homemade but finessed abroad
Dani Olmo has sealed a return back to Barcelona, the club he departed in 2014 in search for more promising first team opportunities, when he joined Dynamo Zagreb in Croatia. Less than a year later, still at the age of 16, he made his first team debut for the club, having impressed with the club’s youth team and before the end of the season, he has had a total of five first team appearances.
At the end of his first season in Croatia, Olmo, who was signed as a youth player wasn’t a recipient of the winners medals even as Dinamo Zagreb claimed the domestic double under Zoran Mamić, who later went on to make history as the only manager to date to have won three consecutive national titles with Dinamo. It was because the Spaniard didn’t make up to the number of appearances to be eligible.
At the end of his six seasons in Croatia, he had made a total of 124 first team appearances, scored 34 goals and won four titles, which included two league titles in his final two seasons, a Cup and a Super Cup titles.
In January 2020, Olmo moved on to join German Bundesliga club RB Leipzig in a deal believed to be worth €35 millions, a sum which included add-ons. He signed a five-year contract until 2025 under Belgian coach, Domenico Tedesco.
It took him no effort to get underway in Germany, making 15 appearances in the second-half of the campaign, while scoring five goals, including a brace in a 2-0 win against Hoffenheim in June, 2020.
In the next four years, Olmo would go on to become an integral part of the set-up in Leipzig, playing with other top players like Timo Werner, Dominik Szoboszlai and Xavi Simons. In that period, he became a major part of the Spanish national team.
After playing a pivotal role in their UEFA European Championship conquest this summer, playing six games, scored three goals and registered two assits in three starts, a lot of top clubs enquired about his services, but being a product of Barcelona, he was not hesitant to accept their offer and return to his roots.
Marquee signing but Dani Olmo is not Nico Williams
Barcelona’s hopes to unite the duo of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal at club level was chattered when the former returned from his summer holiday and announced he is staying put in San Mames.
The stylish winger of Ghanaian descent also switched from shirt number 11 to 10 folllowing the departure of long serving midfielder Iker Muniain as a free agent in the summer, further dashing any hopes that might be left of Barcelona getting their hands on him.
However, in Dani Olmo, they signed their first alternative to Williams, but the players, though can be deployed in the same position, are completely different prototype. Nevertheless, both players offer unique qualities that could complement Barcelona’s Spanish core in different ways.
It is apparent what Barcelona wanted in Nico Williams. His directness, explosive speed, combined with close control, and the ease at which he beat defenders in one-on-one situations. How he often uses his dribbling skills to create space and opportunities in wide areas. A pure winger instinct.
Nico Williams is agile and has quick feet, enabling him to change direction rapidly. This makes him difficult to mark, especially when he cuts inside from the wing or makes runs behind the defense. He is also a good crosser of the ball.
And Olmo, although highly skilled with the ball at his feet and more technical than Nico, he is not the prototype required to compliment Lamine Yamal for the dream wingers Barcelona envisioned, that triggered their pursuit of the Athletic Club winger.
Highly schooled in the Barcelona way of play, Dani Olmo’s versatility will also prove a huge asset for Hansi Flick, but looking at the options already available at the club, maybe the 26-year-old should have been left to explore other options or remain in Leipzig.
In addition, it’s essential to recognize that while Olmo might fit more seamlessly into Barcelona’s current setup, Nico Williams could bring the unpredictability and directness that often makes the difference in tight games.
The rise of Fermin Lopez nullifies the need for Olmo
Olmo was amongst a list of Spanish players that shone in the Euros but in the Olympics, Fermin Lopez had no equals. He was named the best player of the tournament, and finished as the top scorer.
Fermin has also been a revelation since his first team debut for the club last season. Having spent the 2023-24 campaign on loan at Linares, where he impressed and scored 12 goals in 40 games, the 21-year-old followed it up with a good pre-season with Barcelona.
Xavi Hernandez confirmed that Fermin will spend the season with the first team and despite only being utilized as a squad player, he finished his debut season with eight Laliga goals and 11 across all club competitions, only Robert Lewandowski has more in both instances amongst all Barcelona players.
The player who signed a contract until 2027 last summer followed that up with a world class performance for Spain in the Olympics, having already featured once in Spain’s run to the Euros title in Germany. Surely he has proven himself deserving of more playtime with the Barcelona team, but the arrival of Dani Olmo will definitely impact his usage.
The €62 million spent on the signing of Dani Olmo could have gone somewhere else, but out of spite it appears, the money was spent on a player whom may not necessarily be a priority. The presence of Fermin Lopez and a few others make the signing of Olmo a misplaced priority.
Dani Olmo’s injury history an added worry
In the last three seasons, Dani Olmo has pick up a total of nine injuries. Maybe that isn’t too much but the fact that he had missed at least 19 games in each of those seasons raises alarm.
For a club that already has a lot of its top players becoming prone to injury, adding one more to the list for so much money, in a deal that should have been avoided, raises questions of the club’s hierarchy.
Compared to Nico Williams, who has missed 19 a game due to injury in the last three seasons. As much as unimpressive this number also looks, it is understandable given it was a period when the 22-year-old was just getting into the mainstream of first team football.
Looking forward to the future
The signing Dani Olmo for €62 million means Barcelona already concluded their major summer deal while the prospect of Nico joining, even in the future, is fleeting. Competition for places in certain positions in the squad continues to grow while the club clearly needs upgrade in some others. Gundogan’s departure as a free agent demands a new midfield signing, lest they settle for the new faces from La Masia.
Given his poor injury record, Dani Olmo, who missed their season curtain raise away to Valencia due to registration issues could potentially become another very important player prone to injury, joining the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Pedri in the infamous list.
Frenkie de Jong is currently out injured while his remaining at the club is becoming to divide opinions. His consistent injuries has hampered his influence and albeit he is capable when available, the denial of what he can offer might as well make the club cut their losses on move on.
Gavi is expected to fully recover from his ACL injury soon but a player who had spent 10 months on the sideline needs to be steadily integrated back into action to avoid further complications.
With Oriol Romeu also back to Girona, it leaves an inexperienced 20-year-old La Masia graduate Marc Casado as the only option in defensive midfielder heading into the final weeks of the transfer window.
Barcelona might have misplaced their priority earlier in the summer when they signed Dani Olmo but that they still have the time to rescue their summer, despite the shortage of funds.
As the club continues to send players out on loan, they could also explore the possibilities of bringing in some others on loan if they can not afford permanent deals.
Julian Araujo, Sergino Dest, Marcos Alonso and Sergi Roberto have all departed, paving way for further addition and registration into the squad. Having gone the past season without winning a silverware, the pressure to end that mini drought is high on new manager Hansi Flick.
Although there was no serious complains about his appointment, his performance come the end of the season will be reviewed. And for a club with history as proud as Barcelona, he will only be cleared of all his possible shortcomings if at least a silverware is on the table, come June 2025.
And for the decision to sign Dani Olmo after their failed attempt with Nico Williams, it is a thing of the past. The club can now focus on working on structures that work best for their players, while ensuring a positive atmosphere in and around the squad, despite the growing competition for places.
