Under Hansi Flick, Barcelona has made a strong start to the new La Liga season, earning three straight wins despite facing challenges in the transfer market. Crickex Affiliate notes that this early momentum is particularly valuable considering the club’s struggles to secure top targets. Initially, Nico Williams was Barça’s top choice for the left wing, but after he opted to stay, the club briefly pursued Federico Chiesa as a potential alternative. The main reason Barça sought Nico was his standout physicality during the Euros.

He was seen as the ideal player to contest long balls, leverage his strength against full-backs or wide center-backs, and relieve pressure from Lewandowski. His presence would also help cover for Barça’s defensive shortcomings on the left flank. Ultimately, however, the club dropped the idea of signing a new left winger and shifted its focus to Dani Olmo. That decision quickly paid off—Olmo scored in his debut and showed exactly why Flick made him a priority. In Barça’s double pivot system, Olmo adds much-needed defensive coverage that a more traditional winger like Nico might not offer.

According to Crickex Affiliate analysis, signing a wide, pacey winger like Nico could have further stretched the team’s formation and risked disconnection between lines—especially when compared to international play, where club chemistry is lacking. With Raphinha already operating on the left and frequently cutting inside, and Olmo capable of covering that position too (with Fermín available for central roles), Flick’s A-plan doesn’t urgently require a new left winger—as long as injuries don’t shake up the starting eleven.

After missing out on Nico, rumors swirled about Barça targeting Juventus’ Federico Chiesa. But technically speaking, Chiesa may not be the right fit. While he brings power and disruption to opposing defenses, his skillset closely overlaps with Raphinha’s but lacks the same technical polish. His dribbling isn’t especially refined, and his scoring efficiency is modest. Pairing him with Yamal, for example, wouldn’t yield great synergy since Chiesa isn’t clinical enough to finish Yamal’s creative passes.

Ultimately, Chiesa joined Liverpool on a four-year contract reportedly worth €10 million per year before taxes. Considering the Premier League’s physical style and Liverpool’s established scorers like Salah and Jota, Chiesa’s strengths may be better utilized there. His chemistry with Darwin Núñez could also provide Klopp with more depth and flexibility in the rotation.

As for Barcelona, future transfer activity remains uncertain. Despite growing fan interest, making new signings is far from easy. The club generated just €38.3 million in transfer revenue this summer, mostly from B-team players rather than first-team exits. Ilkay Gündoğan’s departure saved €20 million in wages, which made the Olmo signing possible—but without other major departures, new purchases may be out of reach.

Operating revenue has not increased significantly, and with Olmo’s transfer fee eating up most of the summer’s budget, it’s likely that Barça has already pushed its limits. Complicating matters, players like Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati are still on the books, and neither Robert Lewandowski nor Frenkie de Jong have accepted wage reductions. Unless the Nike sponsorship renewal takes effect immediately, Crickex Affiliate believes Barcelona will struggle to find room for more signings.

In the end, missing out on Chiesa isn’t a serious setback. Barça still has viable depth options like Ferran and Fati on the bench. The bigger priority is recovering from injuries. If the full squad returns to fitness, this Barcelona side still has the firepower to be highly competitive.