Just when it seemed Barcelona had gone rock bottom both in the league, a crop of young players are now helping the club get back on their feet. Pedri, Alejandro Balde, Ansu Fati and the talented Gavi are just some of the players that have become an integral part of the team. And with Barcelona boasting a 13-point lead in the league, the players have proved their worth. So, who is the next star in Barcelona’s youth ranks? The 19-year-old star Estanis Pedrola seems to be at the front of the line.
Pedrola is also part of the current strategy deployed by Barcelona, where they now sign talented young players from other clubs rather than solely relying on their famed La Masia youth academy.
And Pedrola has grabbed the opportunity presented to him at the youth level and is emerging quickly as the next player that could cross over and become a permanent member of the senior team. So, who is Estanis Pedrola, and how good is he?
Who is Estanis Pedrola?
Estanislau “Estanis” Pedrola Fortuny was born on August 24, 2003, in Cambrils, a town on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the province of Tarragona, situated in the autonomous region of Catalonia.
Pedrola showed a remarkable interest in football at a young age, so his parents enrolled him in CF Reus Deportiu, a local club in Reus, the nearest airport in Cambrils. For four years, Pedrola slowly became a player that showed glimpses of becoming a future professional footballer.
Pedrola’s name was starting to rise in the youth ranks across Spain. However, the first club to take advantage of it was RCD Espanyol, a club situated 100 kilometres from Cambrils. Art Espanyol he would play for four years across various youth teams. However, by 2018 Espanyol released him, deeming him surplus to requirements.
Pedrola then made the bold move to return to Reus to resurrect his career. It turned out to be a game changer as Pedrola began playing some of his career’s best football. After two seasons of excellent performance, he finally got a call from none other than Barcelona. It was a dream move for the youngster. However, now Pedrola had to make his mark among hundreds of tainted youngsters like him. And it is here that Estanish Pedrola shone so much that now he got his La Liga debut in his first season.
Estanis Pedrola stats
Estanis Pedrola joined in June 2021 and was sent to the reserves straightaway. However, the management didn’t play him at the start, instead opting to work on him in training and get him accustomed to the team’s playing style. His debut came in the UEFA Youth League against Bayern Munich. He made three additional appearances in the competition and also made his league debut for the reserves on November 21, 2021, against Albacete. And his career would rise even further when he was called to the senior team. His debut came on January 2, 2022, against Malorca in a 1-0 away win.
He ended the season with one goal and one assist but showed enough promise that fans and the club management were happy for the next season.
And Pedrola has not disappointed in becoming a star on the left wing. While he has not played any match for the senior team, he has dominated in the reserves scoring seven goals in 15 games. Four of these goals came when the team were either drawing the match or losing it, thus earning Barcelona Atletic an additional eight points and propelling them to sixth on the league table.
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Estanis Pedrola’s playing style and potential
Like every winger, Pedrola is blessed with pace, excellent dribbling skills, and quick footwork. However, what makes Pedrola unique is the balance he can strike in making brilliant decisions both on-the-ball and off-the-ball. In fact, Pedrola is so deadly accurate because his movement allows him to get the ball into an advantageous situation from where there is a high chance of scoring.
Pedrola is also now shy of taking considerable risks in which there are a lot of failures, but when he does get it right, he leaves the defenders bamboozled. Pedrola has shown in two seasons that he deserves more game time in the senior team. And with Barcelona still not in a healthy financial situation, players like Pedrola will be critical to ensure the team raises the quality of players without splurging a lot of money in the transfer market.
Estanis Pedrola transfer news
With Barcelona looking to get every ounce of talent from their youth ranks as they look to return to becoming one of the top clubs in Europe again, players like Pexrola are gems that the club cannot afford to lose.
Barcelona, though have the aura of keeping players in their ranks, and Pedrola will make a serious effort to establish himself in the senior team for the next two to three seasons before he starts to look for opportunity elsewhere.
For now, though, Pedrola should continue to develop quickly and become an integral part of the senior team.