Jesse Bisiwu: Barcelona's Young Talent in Hansi Flick's Plans
Jesse Bisiwu walked into FC Barcelona’s first-team training on August 1 as the club’s newest gamble on raw talent. An €8.5 million signing from Club Brugge after months of negotiations, the 18-year-old winger has barely had time to unpack, yet he has already survived Hansi Flick’s first big filter.
Two weeks on, he is still there. Still in with the seniors. Still in the plans.
A Place in Flick’s Inner Circle
With the internationals back and the usual preseason traffic of academy players thinning out, many youngsters have quietly drifted back to the reserves or are training on the fringes while they wait for moves. Bisiwu is not among them.
He remains in the first-team dynamic, a clear signal from the coaching staff. Inside the club, they see him as part of Flick’s squad, not just a passing guest from the academy. His presentation came with full media spotlight, and his name already sits on the first-team section of the club’s official website.
The big question at Barça, though, still hangs in the air: will Bisiwu’s season be written at the elite level or down with the reserves? For now, the answer leans toward the top, even if nothing is definitive yet.
Nervous Debut, Big Comparisons
Bisiwu has already worn the Barça shirt in a match, stepping onto the pitch in a friendly against Udinese. He played around 30 minutes, enough to get a first taste, not enough to truly show why Barcelona pushed for him. Nerves clipped his wings a little. The flashes were there, but only in short bursts.
His profile has already drawn comparisons with Ousmane Dembele: explosive, daring, unpredictable. In training, teammates have seen the same thing. A special talent. A winger who can unbalance defenders in a step, who can change the tempo of an attack with a single touch.
But they have also seen the other side. To make it at Barça, talent is just the entry ticket. Bisiwu still has to sharpen the edges of his game.
On his first day, one detail stood out: his pressing. Or rather, the lack of a constant pressing habit. At this level, that’s non-negotiable. Flick’s staff have identified it quickly. So has the player. The same goes for his finishing. He can get into good positions, but the accuracy of his shooting needs a jump if he is to turn promise into production.
Flick’s New Project on the Wing
Tactically, Flick has been clear. So far, Bisiwu has been used as a left winger, the same zone where he must fight for minutes with Raphinha and Anthony Gordon. It is a ruthless corridor to break into, but it is also the one where he feels most at home. He can operate on the right as well, yet the left suits his instincts better.
The German coach is treating him as one of the club’s big long-term projects. Not a token academy promotion. A piece to be polished for the highest level.
Inside the dressing room, the message is simple: Bisiwu will get his chances, but he has to earn a permanent place. His next opportunity should come this Sunday against Basel in another preseason test, where he is expected to feature prominently.
Barça believe they have something serious in their hands. An 18-year-old winger, still learning to press, still learning to finish, but already training like a first-teamer and carrying the weight of high expectations.
Now comes the hard part: can he turn those expectations into a spot that nobody can take away from him?
