{"id":786765,"date":"2026-07-27T05:53:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T05:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/786765\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T05:53:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T05:53:18","slug":"why-barcelona-snubbed-world-cup-winner-for-problem-position","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/786765\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Barcelona \u2018Snubbed\u2019 World Cup Winner for Problem Position"},"content":{"rendered":"

The solution seemed simple for a center back-needy Barcelona. <\/p>\n

They\u2019d just seen their hugely gifted young defender, Pau Cubars\u00ed, shine alongside Aymeric Laporte for World Cup<\/a> winners Spain. Cubars\u00ed was named Young Player of the Tournament for his faultless string of performances in North America, including an outstanding showing in a drab final against Argentina. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve both felt very comfortable,” Cubars\u00ed said of his partnership with Laporte ahead of the final. “We help each other, we instill confidence in one another, and we make ourselves strong so that we concede as few goals as possible. We\u2019re doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spain conceded just once on its way to glory, with an unflappable defensive duo key to its success. <\/p>\n

And when the initial reports linking Laporte to Barcelona<\/a> emerged, it seemed like a foregone conclusion. The player was interested, and Bar\u00e7a would merely need to pay a small release clause.<\/a> However, the back-to-back La Liga champions have reportedly opted against signing the 32-year-old.<\/p>\n

Hansi Flick Reportedly Happy With Barcelona\u2019s Defense\"Hansi<\/p>\n

Barcelona are set to stick with their current defensive options. | Javier Borrego\/Europa Press\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Barcelona didn\u2019t replace I\u00f1igo Mart\u00ednez last summer, with Hansi Flick using a litany of options alongside Cubars\u00ed in 2025\u201326. Eric Garc\u00eda, Ronald Ara\u00fajo and Gerard Mart\u00edn all filled in, with the latter enjoying the most success, having originally broken through as a left back with the senior team. <\/p>\n

Still, plenty of supporters believe the club needs a center back addition this summer. <\/p>\n

Flick, though, isn\u2019t so panicked. According to Mundo Deportivo<\/a>, the German is content with his defensive options and is hopeful that Andreas Christensen can play a more prominent role for the Blaugrana next season. <\/p>\n

Moreover, previous (and aforementioned) claims of Laporte boasting a release clause are supposedly wide of the mark. Barcelona would instead have to directly negotiate with Athletic Club, who welcomed the center back home last year and are unlikely to give the 32-year-old up easily. <\/p>\n

Relations between the two clubs aren\u2019t exactly jolly after the pair of Nico Williams sagas in 2024 and 2025. <\/p>\n

Jules Kound\u00e9 Could Have New Barcelona Role Next Season\"Jules<\/p>\n

Kound\u00e9 could play at the heart of Bar\u00e7a\u2019s defense. | Ulrik Pedersen\/NurPhoto\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jules Kound\u00e9 joined Barcelona in 2022 after starring at the heart of Sevilla\u2019s defense. However, the Frenchman has spent the bulk of his career in Catalonia as a right back, gradually increasing in comfort as a two-way fullback.<\/p>\n

Kound\u00e9 no longer performs like a converted center back. Flick tasks him with contributing in the final third, combining with Lamine Yamal, and he notched seven goal contributions across La Liga<\/a> and the Champions League last season. <\/p>\n

However, Mundo Deportivo<\/a> reports the French international could finally be utilized in his natural position. In the event of Ara\u00fajo\u2019s departure, Kound\u00e9 would likely operate as Cubars\u00ed\u2019s deputy while also remaining an option for the right back role. <\/p>\n

Mart\u00edn may well remain Flick\u2019s preferred option alongside Cubars\u00ed, with Barcelona seemingly uninterested in signing another defender. They still desperately need one more attacking addition despite the arrivals of Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, though, and the club may well be preserving resources for a big splash. <\/p>\n

READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC\"\"Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The solution seemed simple for a center back-needy Barcelona. They\u2019d just seen their hugely gifted young defender, Pau…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":786766,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[403,99],"class_list":["post-786765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=786765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/786766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=786765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=786765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=786765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}