Former Barcelona coach, Xavi Hernandez, expressed his great surprise at the Spanish club’s decision to sell its young player, Marc Guiu, to Chelsea in the summer transfer market, despite the immense talent the player possesses.
Marc Guiu moved to the London club in the summer of 2024 for a fee not exceeding six million euros, which is considered a low amount compared to the player’s exceptional abilities.
Despite his limited appearances with Chelsea in the English Premier League, Guiu showed an outstanding level in the UEFA Conference League, where he scored six goals in six matches, making him one of the most prominent players in the competition.
This remarkable brilliance surprised many, including Xavi Hernandez, who clearly expressed his opinion by saying: “How could Barcelona let him leave? This player has great potential, and in just two years, he could become one of the best strikers in Europe. I believe he has the capabilities to reach a very high level in his career.”
Xavi, who is well aware of the challenges and opportunities that young players face at Barcelona, added that the club should have kept a player like Guiu, who has the potential to shine in the future.
He pointed out that Barcelona sometimes lacks long-term vision, which led him to believe that this decision was wrong. In his opinion, it would have been better to loan Marc Guiu to another team instead of selling him permanently, so he could gain the necessary experience and return later to become one of the key players for the Catalan team.
Furthermore, Xavi expressed his sadness over the long-term consequences this decision may have on the team, emphasizing that Barcelona was in dire need of a young striker like Guiu, especially considering the attacking challenges the team has been facing recently.
Xavi said: “We need players like Marc Guiu, who can make a difference in the future. He could have played a major role in Barcelona’s future, but unfortunately, we lost the opportunity to benefit from his potential.”
The decision to sell Guiu also sparked widespread reactions from Barcelona fans, who expressed their surprise and anger at losing such a talented player. Many of them stressed that selling a young player with such great potential could turn out to be a damaging decision for the team in the long run.
In the end, the question remains: Was Barcelona’s management right to sell Marc Guiu at this time? Or will this decision go down as one of the biggest mistakes the club has made in recent times?