The appointment of Hansi Flick as the head coach at FC Barcelona gave several players the chance to restart or further grow their careers at the Blaugrana club by impressing the new coach in the last pre-season.
One such player with these intentions was the fullback Alex Valle, who wanted to get an important role in the Barcelona squad to continue with his growth and development after a promising year on loan at Levante.
The youngster played at a very high level during the pre-season tour of the USA, especially in the matches against Real Madrid and Manchester City.
However, Barcelona did not register him with the first team, and he ultimately left to join the Scottish side Celtic Glasgow on loan after extending his Barcelona contract for one more year.
A new report on Valle from SPORT claims that Flick had not wanted him to leave, but had actually asked Deco to ensure that the fullback remained a part of his squad. However, the player himself wanted to have more minutes on the pitch than he would have got at Barcelona, which is what a player of his age needs.
The €2.5m-rated Spanish defender was not too seduced by the idea of being Kounde’s replacement – something the German coach had tried in the preseason – and Flick has Gerard Martin outlined as Balde’s replacement on the other flank.
On the other hand, Celtic offered him more prominence in the team, more minutes on the pitch, and also the chance to play in the UEFA Champions League. The Scottish side will cover his entire salary, and Valle will also have a rather affordable release clause at the end of the season.
The fullback is already shining in Scotland, and recorded two assists this last weekend. He might also make his UEFA Champions League debut tonight at the famed Signal Iduna Park, as Celtic visit Germany to face Borussia Dortmund in the League Phase of the competition.