According to the Spanish newspaper *Sport*, the scene at the end of the recent match against Atlético was particularly telling, with Cancelo appearing completely exhausted and sitting on the ground due to a series of muscle cramps, whilst his teammates approached him one by one to congratulate him and celebrate a victory that secured the team “half the league title” in the league, in a collective acknowledgement of the success of the winter transfer that provided a stunning addition to the squad, amidst unanimous calls from Flick and the players for him to stay.
João Cancelo had joined Barcelona last January as a temporary solution, although Flick had initially wanted to sign a centre-back to compensate for Christensen’s absence; however, a lack of conviction regarding the available candidates led sporting director Deco to propose this move, which fitted within the available wage budget.
Whilst the Portuguese arrived to help with rotation on the flanks, he ended up as the first-choice left-back, capitalising on Balde’s decline in playing time and his subsequent injury.