Barcelona wonderkid threatens to quit

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 10 Jan 2023 17:51 GMT
• 3 min read

Barcelona wonderkid Ansu Fati has threatened to quit the club unless manager Xavi affords him more playing.

Fati recently signed a new Barcelona contract with a €1 billion release clause, but he has only made three La Liga starts this season.

Fati exploded onto the scene with Barcelona in 2019, making his La Liga debut fat the age of just 16. He then became their youngest ever goalscorer.

But in the three seasons since, Fati has not developed as hoped.

Knee and hamstring injuries haven't helped him in the last couple of years, but having now overcome those setbacks, he still has struggled to play much under Xavi.

“He is fine at Barça, but Jorge Mendes [Fati’s agent] has told the coach [Xavi] that if the boy does not play, he will change his team,” Fati’s uncle Braima Camar told RAC1.

This follows on from quotes earlier this week where Fati himself admitted that he wasn’t happy with his situation at Barcelona.

What did Ansu Fati say?

"Yes, I'm not going to lie to you," he answered when asked by Mundo Deportivo if he expected to have played a more prominent role this season.

"I want to play but I understand that the coach is the one who decides, and I have to do my best every day to be able to turn it around."

Fati’s lack of game time at Barcelona has also had a knock-on effect for the Spain national team.

He was selected for Spain’s World Cup squad by Luis Enrique but only managed two substitute appearances in their four matches.

Spain were eliminated from the tournament on Tuesday on penalties by Morocco after a 0-0 draw.

Fati is still only 20 but the feeling is that his career needs a kickstart if he is to fulfill the potential he showed when he burst onto the scene.