Barcelona news: Hansi Flick explains why £1.3m Hamza Abdelkarim offers unique attacking option

Hansi Flick has explained why Barcelona teenager Hamza Abdelkarim could have a significant role to play this season, insisting that the £1.3m striker offers a profile that no other attacker in his squad currently possesses.

Barcelona have made a perfect start to the campaign, winning each of their opening five matches and scoring 22 goals in the process.

That attacking output has eased concerns which followed a summer of major change, with Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres both leaving and the club failing in their attempt to sign Julian Alvarez.

Flick has instead found solutions from within his existing group, with Raphinha increasingly used through the middle and summer arrivals Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus all adding different qualities.

However, the Barcelona boss believes 18-year-old Abdelkarim gives him something none of those players can replicate.

“I think the club did a great job,” Flick said.

“He had an excellent pre-season and he is competing for a place in the starting team.

“He is the type of player that we don't have. He is a great prospect for the future and we need to keep him.”

Abdelkarim is a more traditional centre-forward than many of the other attacking options available to Flick.

Raphinha can attack space and has adapted successfully to a central role, while Jesus offers movement, pressing and the ability to combine in different areas of the pitch.

Abdelkarim, by contrast, provides a more natural focal point.

The Egypt international developed through Al Ahly's academy and has attracted attention because of his physical presence, ability in the air and instinct inside the penalty area.

Those qualities have even led to comparisons with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland during his rise through the youth ranks.

Barcelona initially moved for Abdelkarim on loan in January, beating competition from other European clubs.

Bureaucratic issues delayed his first appearance for Barca Athletic until March, but he quickly made an impact once available.

The forward scored six times in nine appearances, convincing Barcelona to activate a purchase option worth approximately €1.5m (£1.3m).

His progression then accelerated further during the summer.

Abdelkarim was selected for Egypt's World Cup squad and was subsequently included in Barcelona's pre-season tour, where he scored four goals in five friendly appearances.

That form persuaded Flick to integrate him more closely with the senior squad rather than leave him exclusively with the reserve side.

Barcelona have already moved to secure Abdelkarim's long-term future by extending his contract until June 2030.

The decision reflects how quickly his status has changed.

Only months ago, he was a low-cost development signing arriving from Al Ahly. He is now being selected regularly in Flick's matchday squads and has already made his first senior appearance this season from the bench against Rayo Vallecano.

His emergence is particularly interesting given Barcelona's summer search for a centre-forward.

The club had explored a move for Alvarez before those negotiations failed, while Lewandowski's departure left a clear vacancy for a more orthodox number nine.

Barcelona responded by bringing in Jesus and using Raphinha centrally, but neither player offers exactly the same physical profile as Abdelkarim.

That does not mean the teenager is about to become an automatic starter.

Flick has a wide range of attacking options and Abdelkarim is still at the beginning of his senior career.

However, the German coach's comments suggest that his value lies precisely in being different.

Against opponents who defend deep or when Barcelona need greater presence in the penalty area, a natural striker with aerial strength and the ability to occupy centre-backs could give Flick another tactical route.

The teenager's development also gives Barcelona another example of a low-cost signing potentially growing into a first-team asset at a time when the club continue to manage their finances carefully.

For £1.3m, Barcelona were initially buying potential.

Less than a year later, Flick is already describing Abdelkarim as a type of attacker his squad otherwise lacks.

In a forward line filled with established internationals and expensive signings, that may be the strongest indication yet that the Egyptian teenager is no longer being viewed simply as a player for the future.

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