In a recent report, Mundo Deportivo offered an update on the future of Barcelona full-back Alejandro Balde. It has been stated that the Spanish talent has agreed to a long-term contract extension with the Catalan club despite recent interest from Manchester City.
Balde’s Impressive Rise At Barcelona Last Season
Balde enjoyed a solid campaign at the Nou Camp recently after he put in a run of impressive displays on the left side of Barca’s defence. The Barcelona-born talent made 44 appearances for the Catalan club last season, netting one goal and picking up seven assists on all fronts.
The Spanish sensation caught the eye at times with his performances on the left flank as he averaged 1.3 tackles, 0.7 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per game in La Liga. He was even careful when distributing the ball based on his pass completion rate of 91.1% in league football (stats via whoscored).
Balde has enjoyed a meteoric rise at the Nou Camp over the 12 months. Hence, it makes sense for both the player and the Catalan club to extend their together in search of more success in the future.
Should Barcelona Boss Xavi Keep Hold Of Balde?
Balde can get stuck in with some solid tackles to make life tough for the opposition inside his half. He has got the vision to engineer a few promising chances for his teammates in the final third and can deliver some good crosses into the opponent’s penalty box. Balde is a decent dribbler with the ball as well but needs to time his challenges a bit better when defending at the back.
At the moment, the Spanish youngster is one of the most important members of Xavi’s match-day squad. Thus, it makes sense for Barcelona to keep hold of him for the long run.
Balde is primarily a left-back but can also function as a left wing-back or as a right-back if told to do so by his manager. At 19, he has got a bright future ahead of him, so Barca would do well to tie him down to a new, long-term contract this summer.
Balde is enjoying his football under Xavi’s stewardship and could help the Catalan club compete for some major honours over the next decade.
