Today, FC Barcelona announced the departure of two of their players on loan, Vitor Roque and Clement Lenglet. The Brazilian youngster has left the Catalan side to join the La Liga club Real Betis, while Lenglet is also going to stay in Spain as he has joined Atletico Madrid on a year-long loan.
Real Betis have the option to buy Vitor Roque at the end of this loan, but among these two players, it is clearly Roque who has a better chance of returning and making a place for himself in the Blaugrana squad.
Still only 19 years of age, Roque joined Barcelona last January after having signed for the Catalan club in the last summer transfer window. He arrived with a lot of fanfare and expectations, but was unable to convince Xavi Hernandez to get a significant role in the squad.
With Xavi’s departure, another door opened for him, but he was also unable to take advantage of this opportunity, as Flick also did not count too much on him. In such a scenario, the best way forward for him remained a loan to another side, where the €30m-rated Brazilian forward would get more playing opportunities and get better acclimatized to Spanish and European football.
As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Barcelona coach, Hansi Flick, was asked about the youngster as he addressed a press conference ahead of the match against Rayo Vallecano. The Barcelona coach dispelled the claims that he didn’t count on Vitor Roque, and expressed that leaving on loan is a good opportunity for him:
“We can’t say that I didn’t count on Vitor, that would be false. What I can say is what he told me. He came from Brazil, in a situation that is not easy for him. It’s a good opportunity for him. He’s a good person and we hope he can improve his performance.”
Whatever the reasons, Roque has now joined Real Betis, and one can now only hope that he will find a suitable ground for further growth and development at the Benito Villamarin, and have a career in Europe that he has been dreaming of.
