Barcelona attacker emerges as 'ugly duckling' of dressing room amid Premier League interest: Reports
Barcelona striker Ferran Torres has had his attitude in the dressing room questioned this season due to his lack of involvement in the team so far.
The Spaniard has been used sparingly by head coach Xavi Hernandez during the 2022-23 football campaign. Barca, themselves, are currently enjoying a remarkable campaign, sitting at the summit of the La Liga table.
The Catalan giants are gradually turning into one of Europe's most exciting and dominant teams. While most credit has to go to head coach Xavi, their recent activities in the transfer market are also paying off.
Recall that Barcelona were among Europe's top spenders during the 2022 summer transfer window. They were able to add a handful of top-class talents to various key positions in the team.
Notable mentions include the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, and Franck Kessie, among others.
The Blaugranas were also able to ship out a couple of players who were considered surplus to requirements as well. Some of which included Samuel Umtiti, Riqui Puig, SergiΓ±o Dest, and the like.
Barcelona received an offer for Ferran Torres from a Premier League club in January. However, the player wants to stay and prove his worth.
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Meanwhile, the heavy transfer activity carried out by Barca last summer has somewhat affected the game time of a few stars at the clubs. One such player happens to be Spanish forward Torres.
The 22-year-old forward was considered a regular under Xavi last season following his big-money move from Premier League giants Manchester City.
However, Torres has now fallen down the pecking order behind the likes of Raphinha, Dembele, and even Ansu Fati at Camp Nou.
The Spaniard has also been branded as the "ugly duckling in the dressing room" due to his lack of game time this season.
He has so far been handed just 639 minutes in La Liga this season, despite making 17 league appearances. He, however, has five goals and one assist for Barca in all competitions this season.
Torres is reportedly attracting transfer interest from a couple of clubs, with one such being Arsenal, as seen in Givemesports. It remains to be seen if the Spaniard will leave Camp Nou this summer.
Xavi reveals he has faith in Barcelona striker Torres
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The Spanish tactician has shown support for out-of-form Barcelona forward Torres, who has struggled to find the back-of-the net consecutively this season.
Torres has been able to register just two goals in La Liga and has recently fallen down the pecking order of wingers at Barcelona.
Speaking during an interview, head coach Xavi revealed that despite Torres' poor form this season, he believes the striker has the capacity to improve. In his words, as seen in Barca Blaugranes, he said:
"Heβs not scoring goals and he has the capacity to score many goals. Of course heβs not in a good run of form in terms of scoring goals and confidence goes down. He will score, as he has throughout his career.
He continued:
"He will continue scoring many goals. We believe a lot in Ferran. He has scored important goals for the team, not just last season but this one. We believe in him and letβs see if he can score the goals he needs."