Barcelona’s decision to extend Frenkie de Jong’s contract at the club until 2029 gave the club much-needed clarity over his long-term future.
The Netherlands international has repeatedly been linked with moves elsewhere, but will now stay with the club during his peak years.
De Jong is often underrated because he does his job with the minimum of fuss. He consistently ranks in the upper echelons for key statistical metrics amongst midfielders in the main European leagues.
The Dutchman controls the flow of the game and is press resistant. He evades pressure, drives forward and connects defence to attack. He also wins his fair share of defensive duels.
Pedri and Fermin Lopez are the headline performers for Barcelona in midfield, but De Jong is also an influential figure.
Flick recognises De Jong’s influence
(Photo by Geert van Erven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
(Photo by Geert van Erven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
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De Jong is one of the five club captains at Barcelona alongside Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Pedri and Raphinha.
The Dutch international’s experience at the highest level allows him to impart invaluable knowledge to younger players in the squad.
Despite this, many Barcelona fans are still unconvinced about De Jong and believe he is not worth his place in the first team. Manager Hansi Flick does not share that view and has revealed how much he values the Dutchman’s thoughts.
“I never had this feeling - I’m not involved in all this social media thing,” Flick said. “I’m totally out of it in that regard. I think that’s a good thing.
“Every supporter of Barcelona can see it’s great to have him in the team. For me it’s fantastic to see, because he enjoys training, he enjoys playing with these guys. And he has huge quality. At the moment it’s like that, with Pedri, with Frenkie, it’s not easy to press us.
“I speak with him a lot, because I want to know his feelings, I want to know his opinion. If this feeling is out there, then I think it comes from outside. It’s a pity, because he is great. But no-one in the team, no-one in the club, thinks differently about him.”
De Jong is still improving
(Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
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One of La Liga’s most expensive transfer signings when he joined in 2019, De Jong took a few seasons to get up to speed for Barcelona. However, he has steadily improved and is unlikely to slow down anytime soon.
Often criticised for drifting in and out games, he now understands how to take the bull by the horns. His defensive and offensive play are equally effective.
While he lacks the physicality of other central midfielders, he has learnt to more than make up for this by dominating games in his own way.
Despite criticism of De Jong’s numbers, they have improved this term. His reading of space, tempo control and positional discipline suggest there is still another level to unlock.
As Barcelona continue to build around a technically gifted group of younger players, his role can evolve into something more authoritative.
If his current trajectory continues, De Jong could finally hit the world-class heights initially projected for him when he first burst onto the scene at Ajax.
Barcelona cannot afford to lose De Jong
(Photo by Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(Photo by Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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De Jong initially struggled to gel with Sergio Busquets at Barcelona, but he has subsequently demonstrated his worth since being moved into a more favourable position.
The Barcelona fans who believe the team would be better without De Jong would be well advised to reconsider their position.
As many other clubs have found out to their cost over the past few years, elite-level midfield orchestrators are extremely thin on the ground. A case in point would be Manchester United and their pursuit of De Jong to fix a midfield that’s still deficient several years later.
If Barcelona had decided to part company with De Jong, it would have cost them a small fortune in the transfer market to replace him. Given their financial situation, keeping the midfielder was a shrewd move.
Although Marc Bernal has recently delivered several strong performances while De Jong has been sidelined with injury, Flick will be desperate to have the latter available on the run-in.
De Jong’s link-up with Pedri is unquestionably the primary factor why Barcelona would have been foolish to consider allowing him to leave.
Pedri is the undisputed headline-grabber in the centre of the park, but would be nowhere near as effective without De Jong alongside him.
The best midfield partnerships involve players who have contrasting styles, and this perfectly describes the relationship between De Jong and Pedri.
While they may never quite reach the same heights as Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, that should not detract from what they each bring to the table.
De Jong is a crucial component of Barcelona’s midfield and his return to fitness comes at a crucial time for Flick’s side.