FC Barcelona have sanctioned the departure of Francisco Trincao, who is set to spend the 2021/21 campaign on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
As confirmed by the club’s official website, Wolverhampton Wanderers have completed the capture of Francisco Trincao. The attacker from FC Barcelona joins the Premier League giants club on a season-long loan deal, with a non-compulsory option to buy clause embedded in the contract.
The winger becomes Barcelona’s third notable departure after Jean-Clair Todibo moved to OGC Nice while Juan Miranda joined Real Betis on a free transfer. The announcement also comes just over a week after the Spanish confirmed the acquisition of Memphis Depay.
The arrival of the Dutch forward was always going to have an effect on Trincao’s future at Barcelona. Last season, the winger struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular despite Ronald Koeman’s willingness to give opportunities to young players.
Trincao did make 28 appearances in La Liga, but only three of them were actual starts. Overall, the attacker notched up just over 600 minutes of league football, falling behind Pedri, Ousmane Dembele in the pecking order.
At Wolves, though, Trincao will continue the club’s strong Portuguese modern heritage. He will partner with some of his O Selecao teammates in Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Ruben Neves, although the latter has been linked with a move to Arsenal and Manchester United.
The full story as Francisco Trincão joins on loan from @FCBarcelona ahead of the 2021/22 season. #WelcomeTrincão
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— Wolves (@Wolves) July 4, 2021
“We’ve watched him a lot, especially over the last couple of months, so he’s been on our radar for quite a while. He’s got loads of quality – signing for Barcelona from Braga shows what potential he’s got. He’s 21 and has played quite a lot of games in La Liga, so we think he’s ready for the Premier League,” said Wolves’ technical director Scott Sellars, in an official statement.
“He’s a player who drifts past people, and he has a great change of direction when he’s moving with the ball. He has great speed over two or three yards, to change direction and get away from people, can score and create, and is an exciting player,” he added.
Trincao will possibly compete with fellow countrymen Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence and the Spaniard Adama Traore in the wide attacking department. The Barcelona loanee will certainly shore up Bruno Lage’s options out wide, as the former Benfica boss hopes to enhance the club’s creative department after a disappointing campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo last time out.
