Marc Guiu: Chelsea striker showing Barcelona’s ‘mistake’ is Blues’ gain
To say that Giu has hit the ground running after breaking into Barcelona’s first team would be an understatement.
The La Masia graduate made an immediate impact after coming on in the 79th minute of Barcelona’s La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao in October 2023, scoring just 33 seconds later to help Xavi’s side win 1-0 .
However, his path to the senior team was not so smooth. Influenced by multiple upbringings during his teenage years, the diminutive frontman wasn’t always a starter for youth teams.
“He missed a lot of games,” Barcelona’s former assistant director of youth football Albert Capellas told Sky Sports earlier this year. “He can’t train.
“It happens in a lot of clubs, if you can’t train or play, maybe you have to leave. (But) at Barcelona we know the level of the players and we give them time.”
The Catalan club’s patience played into Guillot’s hands. In the 2023-24 season, he made six more appearances for the senior team and scored again in the 2-3 loss to Royal Antwerp in the Champions League.
“Mark Giu is a closer,” Capelas added. “(He’s) not a player who has incredible skills in one-on-one situations and can dribble past players. He’s a different type of player, but he’s great in his position. He’s A nose for scoring goals.”
In June, Chelsea reached an agreement to activate his £5 million release clause and then signed the youngster to a five-year contract with the option to extend for a further year at Stamford Bridge.
