Yesterday, news outlets and official club channels confirmed Aitana Bonmatí’s successful surgery. Aitana, who sustained the injury while on national team duty, had reported discomfort for a while. Now, she joins an extensive list of injured starters for the next four months, ruling her out for the most intense part of the season.
Preceding her report was that of Kika Nazareth, now also nursing a three-week-long ankle injury. At this point, injuries may pose a bigger problem for Barça than any opponent on the pitch. How did we get here?
An Underwhelming Summer Transfer Window
Shortly after the summer transfer window closed, I was struck by how little noise Barça Femení had made. Not signing but instead releasing and selling players, even after losing a very important final, along with a first-ever Clásico loss a few weeks prior. The general sentiment among culers at the time can be described as “slightly worried and cautiously optimistic.”
Lucía Corrales was the final straw. We hurried out questions to our sources, and sure enough, they came through and confirmed what we and many others had suspected: the club had to make significant expenditure cuts across all major sections to smooth things over at the La Liga office. Barça Femení was not exempt. In fact, they had to trim roughly €1 million from their budget.
This was even more surprising when, from our financial amateurs’ perspective, we analyzed an unofficial Barça Femení financial report that declared a wildly profitable year, well in the black. So, if the section was not in dire financial straits, how could management reasonably justify cutting the first-team squad list to just a little over 15 players?
2023/24: A Little ‘History’
This was the most successful season in the section’s history: all four trophies, a Bonmatellas double to send OL Lyonnes (then Olympique Lyonnais) off into the sunset, and all that on home turf in Bilbao. It almost felt scripted.
Behind the scenes, though, trouble was brewing. Jonatan Giráldez had changed his tune and was preparing to move to the States to lead Kang’s project with the Washington Spirit. Before him, Markel Zubizarreta, the architect behind Barça Femení’s smartest transfers, had already left the club. He passed briefly through the RFEF before taking over Kang’s broader sporting interests. Giráldez didn’t leave empty‑handed, either; more than half the backroom staff followed him, only leaving behind the two assistant coaches.
It was also around this time that Barça saw a significant decrease in transfer spending, only signing Ona Batlle and Esmee Brugts on free transfers. Names like Emma Ramirez, Nuria Rábano, Geyse, Ana-Maria Crnogorčević, and later Asisat Oshoala were crossed off the roster. A “quality over quantity” narrative started circulating, but in truth, the club was feeling the strain of retaining its stars. With key players’ market values rising sharply, the club had to make it worth their while and fend off frivolous offers from loosely regulated markets. This left less and less room for big moves because the realities were not (and still aren’t) reflected in La Liga’s outdated financial rulebook.
2024/25: More Cuts and Early Symptoms
Two first-team signings arrived: Polish striker Ewa Pajor and Portuguese sensation Kika Nazareth, for a rumored combined fee of around €1 million. Sydney Schertenleib was also signed for the B team. Ellie Roebuck was also added from Manchester City on a free transfer to introduce some competition between the posts. She was still recovering from a sensitive head injury whose recovery timeline was unclear.
On the other side of the ledger, Lucy Bronze and Mariona Caldentey announced that they were not renewing with Barça. Goalkeeper Sandra Paños had also long hinted that she was on her way to Mexico. Additionally, Lucía Corrales, Martina Fernández and Giulia Dragoni were loaned out. Ariana Arias was traded to Wolfsburg.
This season also saw sweeping changes in management. Pere Romeu took over as head coach, and Marc Vives embarked on his first full season as sporting director.
In January, Keira Walsh requested a transfer from the club. Our sources at the time said that Keira had in fact requested the move prior to the start of the season but managed to work out an agreeable compromise that would allow her to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season. Something changed between then and January, however, because Keira would be sold to Chelsea for an undisclosed fee (rumored to be around €500,000) during the winter window.
The season, while spectacular by many standards, saw a few telling mishaps and a few results that raised eyebrows. First, was a loss against a mediocre Levante UD, then against Real Madrid in the return leg at Montjuïc. The media and fans were quick to dismiss the losses as tactical blips from Pere Romeu, until the same scenario played itself out on the biggest stage: the Champions League final in Lisbon. By then, it was clear something was off, even if no one could agree on exactly what.
2025/26: New Meaning to Minimalism
Barça opened their transfer window with a promising move, signing Laia Aleixandri on a free transfer. It felt like a consolation move after it became abundantly clear that Ingrid Engen had no intention of remaining in Barcelona. Nonetheless, the points for smart moves went on Barça’s side of the table. Then, the hammer came down.
It started with Fridolina Rolfö, followed by more loans for Dragoni (who was injured at the time) and Emilka. Shortly after, the sales of Martina Fernández, Jana Fernández, and late in the window, Lucía Corrales came. Ellie Roebuck also reached an amicable agreement to terminate her two-year deal with the club mid-way. In one fell swoop, Barça Femení was down to 16 first‑team players. Promotions from the reserve side became essential. Clara Serrajordi, Sydney, and Aïcha Camara were called up, while the B team added Carla Julià from Badalona Women.
The season went underway with twenty players registered for the first team. A few weeks in, the team was flying high, with massive score lines, spectacular performances to match, and plenty of “I told you so’s” directed at the doubters.
Then came the international break, and with it, the injuries. Graham Hansen, Patri, Pajor, Kika, Salma, Esmee, and now Aitana joined the list. Rumors are also swirling about Alexia Putellas battling severe fatigue. Graham and Pajor have since recovered and are with the squad, but the rest are still out. Just as we were getting ready to publish this article, the club added Ona Batlle to the list of injured players. Three weeks.
That neatly underscores the problem that led to those previously dismissed stumbles in Montjuïc, Lisbon, and most recently against Real Sociedad. Players need rest and careful load management. That’s nearly impossible with just 20 players, however good they might be.
Barça Femení has one of the strongest first elevens out there. There was never a doubt about that. The question most avoided was how that would play out if one of the members suffered a long-term injury. Injuries and football are like bread and butter, you can’t have one without at least considering the other. While the Spanish National team is partly to blame for the overload on the players, the club should take most of the blame for not planning better and La Liga the rest of it for not accepting that some of the financial rules are just not competitively practical.
It remains to be seen whether the club will make any January moves to compensate for the potential absence of the Ballon d’Or winner, but given the trend outlined above, it seems highly unlikely. The only rumor so far? B team midfielder Rosalía Domínguez might get the call that could change her life.
