Flick's New Midfield Signing: Xavi Espart from La Masia
Hansi Flick may not have needed the transfer window to reshape his midfield. He looks to have found his new option in-house, and from a familiar source: La Masia’s extraordinary Class of 2007.
Barcelona open their 2026/27 La Liga title defence on Sunday night away to Elche, a late 21:30 kick-off in Spain, and the German coach is seriously considering handing the keys of his midfield to a teenager who, not long ago, was still a youth-team regular.
That teenager is Xavi Espart.
From Right-Back Prospect To Midfield Solution
Espart broke into the first team last season, the campaign in which Barça retained their La Liga crown. Like Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí and Marc Bernal, he came through the same gifted generation, all born in 2007, all raised in the academy together, all carrying the expectations of a club that still believes in its own.
His debut was not the typical gentle home introduction. Flick threw him into a Champions League last-16 tie at Newcastle United, Espart coming on late in a 1–1 first-leg draw. He did it not in the classic blaugrana, but in the orange away strip that has lingered into this preseason, a small detail that underlined the sense of transition around Barça.
From there, he collected six appearances across the season. Most of them came as a defender, but the murmur around the training ground never really stopped: Espart could end up in midfield.
La Masia staff had long used him there. Flick saw the same thing and went further with the comparison, viewing him as a Philip Lahm type — intelligent, tactically sharp, able to interpret both roles at a high level.
This summer, the theory has become reality. In preseason, Espart has been used exclusively in midfield. At right-back, Eric Garcia has effectively nailed down the spot, pushing Jules Koundé for minutes and freeing Flick to experiment with Espart further up the pitch.
Preseason Statement Games
The shift has not gone unnoticed. Culers have watched Espart grow into the role over the past few weeks, and two games in particular have changed the tone from curiosity to genuine excitement.
In a 5–2 away win over Basel last Sunday, he imposed himself in the middle of the pitch, dictating tempo and pressing with the intensity Flick demands. Then came the Gamper Trophy against Al Ahly. Barça won 2–1, and Espart came agonisingly close to a goal, denied only by a block on the line after timing his run into the box perfectly.
Those moments matter. They hint at a player who is not just filling in, but actively shaping games.
A Door Opens For Elche
Now the season starts for real. Because of the heavy World Cup involvement of so many Barcelona players, Barça — like Real Madrid — begin their La Liga campaign later than most. That delay has created a strange, slightly stretched preseason, but it has also opened a window for the youngsters.
Pedri is still not fit. New signing Rodri is also unavailable. That combination suddenly makes Espart’s path into the XI a lot clearer.
Flick could line him up in midfield alongside Marc Bernal and with Lamine Yamal further forward, a spine built around three members of that same 2007 class. The idea is no longer a fantasy; it is a tactical option on the manager’s notepad.
Then there is Pau Cubarsí. The World Cup’s Best Young Player did not feature in the Gamper, a detail that has sparked two competing theories: either he is not quite ready, or Flick is simply protecting one of his most prized assets ahead of the league opener.
If Cubarsí does start at Elche, the prospect becomes tantalising: all four of Barça’s 2007 jewels on the pitch together in a competitive match.
For Barcelona and La Masia, that would be more than a nice story. It would be a statement about where this era is heading — and about how far Flick is willing to go in trusting a new generation to keep the club on top.
