Karim Adeyemi says Hansi Flick was the main reason he chose Barcelona, and he is not arriving with a fixed position in mind. The forward said Flick was the reason he came after they had “really good talks” and he trusted him “from the first second”. He also said it does not matter what role he plays, because he is there for every position in attack.

Flick's role in the move

Adeyemi’s own words make the logic of the move pretty clear. “He’s the reason I think I came here to Barcelona,” he said, before adding that he can play “in almost any position in the offensive line”. That is a useful fit for Barcelona, who are paying Borussia Dortmund €22 million plus €7 million in add-ons and want attacking players who can move around rather than wait for one exact role.

The versatility point is the stronger one here. Adeyemi has not sold this as a promise of being a pure No 9, and Barcelona have not bought him as one. He said he has “played everything in the past”, which is the sort of answer clubs like to hear when the squad already has players operating at a high level in forward areas.

Barcelona scored 95 goals in La Liga last season, and they averaged 69% possession. That does not automatically mean every attacker must be a wide forward, but it does explain why Flick would value a player who can shift across the front line without breaking the structure.

Why Barcelona wanted the flexibility

Adeyemi’s numbers for Dortmund last season help explain why Barcelona were willing to make the bet. He scored 10 goals and added 6 assists in 39 appearances, solid output for a player whose appeal is not limited to finishing. He was also clocked at 36.65 kilometres per hour in his Bundesliga debut season, which gives Barcelona another direct threat in wide areas.

There is a case for saying the fee makes sense only if he does more than one job. Barcelona are not buying him to stand still and wait for service. They are buying pace, movement and a player who says the position does not matter as long as he helps the team and earns trust.

Adeyemi also framed the move as a test of standards. “Expectations are high. I’m joining the best club in the world,” he said. That is the right tone for this kind of signing, and it fits a Barcelona attack that already looks built around rotation, speed and players who can swap roles without the whole structure collapsing.

The contract runs until 2031, so this is not a short-term patch job. It is a long run at a role that, by Adeyemi’s own account, does not need to be fixed in place before he starts.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →