At the start of the season, Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman asked Riqui Puig to go out on loan to get minutes under his belt. However, the youngster decided to stay at the club and fight for his place in the starting lineup.
Two and a half months removed from the summer transfer window, things have not exactly gone according to plan for Puig. He has only managed to be on the pitch for 78 minutes across all competitions and has spent most of his time on the bench.
The youngster’s contract was set to expire in the summer, and Barcelona have now confirmed that they have extended Riqui Puig’s contract with the Catalonian club till 2023. The news was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano and Francesco Porzio on the Here We Go podcast on Patreon.
While his teammate and fellow La Masia graduate Carles Alena left the club to join Getafe on loan for the rest of the 20/21 season, Puig will not be going out on loan in January.
The 21-year-old is Barcelona through and through, coming through the ranks at Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy, that has been responsible for producing some of the best talent the world has ever seen including the likes of Leo Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Carles Puyol.
Puig is undoubtedly very talented, and surely has the calibre to make it into the first team, but right now is not his time.
