Football: Jesse Bisiwu ready to work hard to impress at Barcelona
Barcelona, Aug 4
FC Barcelona's new signing Jesse Bisiwu has expressed his delight on Tuesday after joining the club from Club Brugge. The 18-year-old completed his move to Barcelona over the weekend and spoke to the media after signing his contract at the club's offices and taking part in his first training sessions.
"My first few days have been very good. I've been welcomed by a great family, and I'm very grateful for that," said the winger, who was pleased with the welcome from his new teammates.
"They've received me very well. Everyone is very friendly, and I'm very grateful," he commented, adding that he had spoken to Barcelona coach Hansi Flick and received a clear message, reports Xinhua.
"We've had a few chats, and it's very easy to understand what I have to do this year: work very hard and learn as much as possible."
Bisiwu added, "This season I'll work hard and give my best, and we'll see how things go, but I will give everything, and when the coach needs me, I'll be there; I just want to work hard to be ready."
FC Barcelona had signed the 18-year-old forward Bisiwu from Club Brugge for a fee of around 8.5 million euros, with the Belgian club entitled to a percentage of any future sell-on fee.
"FC Barcelona and Club Brugge KV have reached an agreement for the transfer of Jesse Bisiwu, who signs up to be a blaugrana until June 30, 2031," reported the Barcelona website at the time of signing. "The player will be presented officially at the Club offices in the near future."
Bisiwu is a left-sided forward who is extremely fast and has impressed in Club Brugge's youth system and for Belgium's U17s.
He has signed a five-year contract and will join the first team for pre-season. His performances will determine whether he remains with the senior squad or begins the season with Barcelona B.
Bisiwu's arrival continues Barcelona's policy of signing young attacking talent and follows the permanent signing of 18-year-old Egypt international Hamza Abdelkarim during the World Cup.
— IANS
Reader Comments
"Work hard and learn as much as possible" - this kid has the right attitude! In India we say "mehnat ka phal meetha hota hai" (the fruit of hard work is sweet). Hope he gets his chances with the first team. Barcelona's policy of investing in young talent is really smart, even if it's a bit risky.
Good signing, but I'm a bit skeptical. Barcelona have been signing too many young players lately without giving them proper chances. Remember when they signed other youth prospects who ended up warming the bench for years? I hope Bisiwu doesn't suffer the same fate. The coach needs to trust these kids more.
Left-sided forward who's extremely fast and impressed with Belgium's U17s? Sounds promising. But 8.5 million euros for an unproven teenager feels like a gamble. These European clubs have so much money to throw around. In India, we could fund an entire football academy with that amount! 🤔
Nice to see Barcelona investing in youth again. Bisiwu seems like a humble guy who just wants to learn. Hope he gets some game time in the pre-season and shows what he's made of. That said, the pressure of playing for Barca at 18 must be immense, especially for a kid coming from a smaller league. Wishing him all the best!
The fact that he's already chatting with Hansi Flick and knows exactly what's expected shows good maturity for an 18-year-old. Many Indian players
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