Women’s transfer deadline day 2: Engen decides

Barcelona Femení enter the second day of transfer deadlines, when they and Ingrid Syrstad Engen will decide her future.

As Blaugranagram exclusively reported yesterday, based on our sources’ knowledge of meetings taking place at the Ciutat Esportiva, the final decision on whether Ingrid Engen will stay or go will be made today, Friday and Liga F deadline day.

Engen has been positively starved of minutes at Barça this season, after being a revelation last year as possibly the quickest ever player to adapt to a new specialised role at the highest of levels. Alongside Aitana Bonmatí and Keira Walsh, Engen started every Champions League game, predominantly playing as a center-back following injuries to Irene Paredes and Mapi León.

The level of Engen has not seemed to have dropped, from what one can gather based on the scarce minutes she has played, and yet her prospects to get more game time at Barcelona are low. Though she is nominally a defensive midfielder, she never thrived in the role (so much that Barça broke the world record to buy Walsh for the position when another starting midfielder was needed) and Pere Romeu does not count on her for it.

This is something that hasn’t changed with Walsh’s departure yesterday, and while Engen may be used as a back-up at pivot should Patri Guijarro be unavailable, she would not be sharing the role – and it is possible Romeu would even be more likely to use such an opportunity to “train up” younger players with potential in the position.

As Marc Vivés works on trying to convince Engen to stay, he will not be able to promise her the slot Walsh leaves behind. Vivés, on whose shoulders the responsibility of mishandling Walsh’s renewal and sale falls, has reportedly learned his lesson on over-promising to players who have a genuine desire to leave. In that case, he let down both the player and the club, by ultimately having to accept a lower than optimum fee and still losing the player before the tight end of the season.

In Engen’s case, then, Vivés will be wary to push the player into renewing if the sports direction does not have a place for her. It is already rumoured that Engen is dissatisfied with how Romeu and the sport staff explain such decisions to her, and may feel she is in a position where no matter how well she performs in training, she will not be played in matches.

It is looking increasingly likely that Lyon’s offer for Engen – whether to be primarily a defender or a midfielder is unknown – will be accepted by Barcelona, with the sport management wanting to rectify their mistakes by giving the player their wishes and bringing in the best fee for the club.

Of course, that leaves a gaping hope between Barcelona’s back lines, possibly literally. As of yesterday the team was not planning to recruit in this transfer window; although this could change, Barça Femení is an injury to Patri or Mapi away from struggling on several fronts.