Barça remains alive in the fight for the treble. The arrival of Hansi Flick at the Catalan club has greatly improved the team. It is no longer just the results that speak for themselves, with the team still in contention for three titles and the Super Cup already in the bag. The German coach has improved the performance of many of his players, ensuring that the only blemish in 2025 was this week’s Champions League defeat, which ended a 24-game unbeaten run.
The worst game of the season. That’s how many described Barça’s match in Germany. Barça struggled and put in a poor performance, but they made it through to the semi-finals, six years on, thanks to their great result in the first leg at Montjuic, when they clearly beat Dortmund 4-0.
Koundé, very critical after the game against Borussia
After the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, there were no excuses. No one hid the fact that it was a bad game, and Jules Koundé was one of the most critical of the team. “It was disappointing because of the game we played.”
“It was a huge goal we had in mind since the start of the season. I’m very happy with the qualification, it’s been six years since the team achieved it and we have to appreciate that, but to be honest, it was a disappointment because of the game we played,” the player summed up after the match.
The French defender acknowledged that Barcelona “lacked a little bit of everything” that they did well in the first leg (4-0), namely “aggressiveness, pressure, concentration, winning duels, and closing down passing lanes.” “We knew it was going to be a difficult game. They were playing at home in front of an extraordinary crowd that puts a lot of pressure on you, and we weren’t up to the task. Although we had a bit more control in the second half, we made mistakes. It was a bad game,” he added.
Koundé renewal
Deco aims to renew Jules Koundé’s contract until 2030 before the end of the current season. The versatile French defender is an undisputed starter at right back, and Hansi Flick wants to keep the player. The player is very settled in Sitges and has the necessary attachments to not want to leave despite the interest shown in him.
There is an agreement in principle almost finalized between Barça and Koundé for the player to remain at Barça until 2030. That would be three more seasons, and the player would continue until he is 31. There will be a small salary increase. It could take a little longer to announce because there is no salary space right now, so we will have to wait until the summer.
Competition sought for the full-back
Barça is not looking for a full-back out of necessity but to improve the squad and reduce the workload. The undisputed starter is Jules Koundé, who is becoming one of the best in the world in his position and is indispensable to Hansi Flick. In fact, the club’s idea is to renew the French player’s contract until 2030 before the end of the current season.
His natural replacement is academy player Héctor Fort. The youth player could have left in the winter transfer window due to a lack of playing time. However, the young right-back has flatly refused to leave the Barça team in this transfer window, despite being Jules Koundé’s substitute. The 18-year-old has played few minutes, but being part of the first team is his lifelong dream and he does not want to give it up.
Arsenal wants to take Koundé from Barça
Chelsea has been following the French full-back for weeks and now Real Madrid’s Champions League nemesis, Arsenal, has joined the fray. This is not the first time that the Emirates has tried to lure Jules Koundé. But the truth is that this time, according to these reports, Arsenal’s attempts will be much more serious. With the arrival of Andrea Berta and the promise of a large sum of money to invest, Mikel Arteta’s side will undoubtedly prepare a good offer.