Barcelona have had quite the squad overhaul over the last 12 months and as a result of the changes they have made several players were shipped out on loan.
Despite not getting through their Champions League group, Xavi’s side have been going well in La Liga this season and currently sit two points above Real Madrid at the top of the league table.
We’ve looked into the seven players that they currently have out on loan and assessed how well they have done in 2022-23 so far.
Clement Lenglet
A loan move for Lenglet seemed like it had been on the cards for quite some time, especially considering he only started in seven league matches for Barcelona last season.
The French defender has featured in 14 matches for Spurs so far this season, including eight Premier League appearances. Tottenham Hotspur journalist Alasdair Gold explained Lenglet’s current situation with the club.
“The Frenchman told me during pre-season that Spurs had not mentioned a permanent move down the line when he signed but he said that ‘we’ll speak more later’ if he adapts to the Premier League as he hopes.
“Spurs will have to negotiate a deal as the season progresses if they are impressed with his contribution,” the journalist explained via Football London.
Francisco Trincao
The Portuguese winger spent last season on loan with Wolves but he didn’t quite hit it off. The 22-year-old has joined up with Sporting Lisbon this season to continue his development.
As Trincao originally broke through in the Primeira Liga, he has been familiar with his surroundings this season. Across all competitions, he has scored five goals and provided one assist this season.
Edwards Trincão #UCL | @Sporting_CP pic.twitter.com/GqYd6kh35S
— UEFA.com em português (@UEFAcom_pt) September 10, 2022
Nico Gonzalez
Xavi has plenty of midfield options to currently choose from and so it made sense for Gonzalez to seek first-team opportunities elsewhere for the season.
Barcelona clearly see a future for Gonzalez at the club as the midfielder signed a new deal with them until 2026 before he was sent to Valencia on loan for the season. This season the holding midfielder has featured in 12 La Liga matches, although most of his appearances have been from the bench.
When asked about the midfielder’s lack of game time, Valencia manager Gennaro Gattuso told Sport: “Nico has never come to me to speak about his situation.
“It is the first time I am hearing something about him, he has a contract to play for a year with us. The boy is training very well and he is a good professional.”
Alex Collado
Collado has been part of Barcelona’s youth setup since 2009 and has continued his development with a loan move to fellow La Liga side Elche this season.
Elche themselves have had a miserable season up until this point and currently sit bottom of La Liga, having not won a match up until this point. Collado has been one of their brighter players though and has two goal contributions in eight league appearances.
As another point to note, Collado has the highest average match rating of any Elche player this season with a rating of 6.71 by Whoscored.
Samuel Umtiti
Umtiti had fallen out of favour at Barcelona a few years ago and they have been trying to shift him from the wage bill since. Across his last two seasons with the club he made a total of just seven league starts.
Serie A club Lecce took him on loan for the season and the French defender has featured in a handful of matches for them so far. The moment Umtiti arrived in Italy was a heartwarming one after some difficult years in Barcelona.
Samuel Umtiti got emotional as Lecce fans welcomed him to Italy
(via @beinsports_FR)pic.twitter.com/7bNvkw2RfM
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 26, 2022
Sergino Dest
Recent reports in Italy have claimed that AC Milan might look to secure a deal for Dest on a permanent basis. The USA defender hasn’t had much action for Milan up until this point, with the majority of his appearances coming from the bench.
The 22-year-old did have a solid World Cup campaign though and will be hopeful of featuring in more matches for Milan in the second half of the season.
Abde Ezzalzouli
Ezzalzouli has played a supporting role in Morocco’s World Cup campaign and he has gained more first-team experience with Osasuna this season in La Liga. The 20-year-old midfielder has registered two assists in eight appearances for Osasuna in the league this season.