Pablo Torre Tells FC Barcelona He Wants To Leave, After Feeling ‘Cheated’ By Xavi

Outcast FC Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has asked to leave the club after feeling ‘cheated’ by first team coach Xavi Hernandez, according to a report.

Torre arrived at Camp Nou in the summer after the Catalans agreed a €5mn ($5.33mn) plus variables deal for his transfer from Racing Santander in March.

With his Champions League and La Liga debuts coming in September and October, before he scored in the aforementioned continental tournament in November, it seemed as though Torre would gradually work his way into a talented side and pick up minutes over the course of the season.

In recent weeks, however, Torre has not managed to feature despite injuries to the likes of captain Sergio Busquets and Pedri in midfield.

The knock that Pedri picked up against Manchester United on Thursday was meant to allow Torre to run out against Cadiz on Sunday in La Liga – especially considering that Xavi was resting several key players for the Europa League playoff second leg against the PremierPINC
League giants this week.

Instead, Torre saw Sergi Roberto picked ahead of him and was then made to watch as Franck Kessie was introduced in the second half and Angel Alarcon was allowed to make his La Liga debut in the 2-0 win.

According to El Nacional, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and Torre has already asked president Joan Laporta “to leave the club this summer to try to have minutes in another team”.

On Tuesday, reports have also suggested that Barca are concerned about the 19-year-old’s attitude because he is allegedly unwilling to play in the reserve team.

Ahead of the Cadiz match, though, Xavi sent out mixed signals by saying that Torre “is ready to start and he has to be, because we will need him.”

“There are always people who don’t play. If he played, you would ask me about someone else. He is different from Pedri, he plays in the hole more than as a midfielder. He shoots, breaks into the box, which is where he can be decisive,” Xavi added.

Though Xavi’s man management skills have been on point since taking over the hotseat in November 2021, he has to show better care with Torre here so as not to discourage the youngster.

With a packed schedule ahead that hopefully contains more Europa League football, plus a Copa del Rey two-legged semi-final and La Liga matches, Torre needs to get the nod soon to feel that there is some sort of faith in him.