“He had a defender right next to him, the situation was not easy. Karim stayed calm, waited for the right moment and finished it perfectly,” the Barca coach said after Adeyemi’s standout moment in the 5-0 win at Elche to open the new LaLiga season on Sunday evening.
Flick had preferred the 11-time Germany international to £80 million new signing Anthony Gordon, handing him a place in the starting line-up for his first competitive appearance for his new club. Like the rest of the team, Adeyemi impressed and grabbed his first LaLiga goal in first-half stoppage time.
Raphinha picked out Adeyemi in transition on the edge of the box, and the 24-year-old quickly shifted the ball on to his weaker right foot with an opponent at his back before coolly finishing from 11 metres to make it 2-0. The goal sent Barca into the break with a comfortable lead.
Barcelona: Hansi Flick explains what sets Karim Adeyemi apart from Marcus Rashford
“It was about finding the player whose qualities best fit our football,” Flick said of the signing of Adeyemi, who arrived a few weeks ago from Borussia Dortmund for a base fee of £22 million. “Karim gives us pace, movement, aggression and, most importantly, that composure in front of goal.”
That is what sets the former Dortmund star apart from predecessor Marcus Rashford, whom Barcelona had on loan from Manchester United last season, but did not then sign permanently and allowed to leave again. “Marcus gives you incredible pace, power and quality when he gets into space. But Karim brings those qualities while also bringing a different level of composure in front of goal,” Flick said, delighted with the new option on the wing.
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Elsewhere, Raphinha and Fermin Lopez also got on the scoresheet in the first league game for the reigning Spanish champions, each helping themselves to a brace. Adeyemi, meanwhile, showed his quality for just over an hour before Dani Olmo replaced him in the 65th minute.
Barcelona: Difficult striker search good for Karim Adeyemi?
In Elche, Flick also used the second high-profile rival to Adeyemi on the left wing, with Gordon in the centre-forward role alongside Raphinha. After the departures of Robert Lewandowski (Chicago Fire) and Ferran Torres (Paris Saint-Germain), Barca are still desperately searching for a new centre-forward, with the only classic option there currently being the highly talented Egypt jewel Hamza Abdelkarim.
As for top target Julian Alvarez, the situation appears hopeless, as Atletico Madrid are absolutely unwilling to let the Argentinian leave. Alvarez’s compatriot Lautaro Martinez was recently mentioned as an alternative solution, but his club Inter Milan are also unwilling to entertain a sale. If the Catalans fail to sign another high-profile new No 9 by the end of the summer transfer window at the start of September, that would certainly make Adeyemi’s start in Barcelona easier and guarantee him more playing time.
A competitive home debut at Camp Nou could come as early as Thursday. Barca host Athletic Bilbao on matchday two of LaLiga.