FC Barcelona played their first pre-season game of the 2025–26 season against Vissel Kobe yesterday, cruising to a 3–1 win. Hansi Flick’s men delivered a solid performance given the circumstances, with Eric Garcia, Roony Bardghji, and Dro getting on the scoresheet.
The German coach used two different XIs in the two halves against the Japanese side. At left-back, Alejandro Balde started the game but was replaced at half-time, with Jofre Torrents taking his place ahead of Gerard Martin in that position.
This decision from Flick may well have been a subtle hint at the pecking order of left-backs this upcoming season. Torrents is extremely talented and just breaking into the first team, and looks much more suited to being Balde’s backup than Martin.
Gerard Martin had to step up last season
Gerard Martin was used extensively by Hansi Flick as a rotation option last season, and when Balde got injured ahead of the Champions League semi-final, he had to be trusted in the big games. The Spaniard has very mixed displays whenever given the chance.
Now, as per Fichajes, Barcelona have set an asking price of around €15 million to let Gerard Martin leave this summer. The emergence of Torrents has made the 23-year-old expendable and a way for the club to generate much-needed income.
Martin is a very decent player in his own right, but he is just not the right stylistic fit for Hansi Flick’s system. The Spaniard is not a natural going forward and doesn’t overlap in the same way that Balde does, making the dynamic on the left flank almost non-existent.
Torrent is more suited to the role
Torrents, on the other hand, as he showed against Kobe, is very good with the ball at his feet and wants to drive forward whenever he gets the opportunity. When your left-winger is someone like Marcus Rashford or Raphinha, both of whom like to cut inside, an overlapping full-back becomes essential.
As for Gerard Martin, he has the quality to play for many other teams in La Liga. His asking price is fairly attainable for the player that he has become, and it remains to be seen if Barcelona find a potential club to sell him to in the coming weeks.
