Nico Williams's arrival at Barça has caused a silent earthquake in the blaugrana locker room. It was Barça's internationals who pushed to make his signing possible.
But in the end, it will be Barça's own internationals who will pay the price for Nico Williams's arrival at Camp Nou.
Hansi Flick hasn't limited himself to considering the Spanish international as a simple replacement for the wingers. He has shaken up his system with an unexpected idea that could leave three internationals out: Dani Olmo, Fermín López, and Gavi.
Flick has a different plan for Nico Williams
The German coach, newly arrived on Camp Nou bench, believes Nico can have a starting role on the wing. Raphinha would be the one sacrificed in that case.
His explosiveness, dribbling, and vision open up other possibilities for him in the tactical setup. The first is to rotate with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal as natural wingers.
The second, much more revolutionary: to place Nico as a starter on the wing and convert Raphinha into an attacking midfielder. A kind of playmaker behind Lewandowski.
This move, which Flick is already considering, would leave three players in a very delicate position. Dani Olmo, Gavi, and Fermín share that attacking midfielder profile and occupied that position last season.
Their role would be drastically reduced if Raphinha takes over that area and Nico claims the left wing.
Fermín, the main victim
In this puzzle of names and positions, Fermín López is the main one affected. His boldness, ability to get into the box, and versatility convinced everyone, but with Flick he doesn't have a guaranteed spot. According to reports from the offices, offers have already arrived for him from Premier League and Serie A clubs.
In a Barça that needs to balance its books to register players, a sale of Fermín for 40-50 million would provide financial breathing room without losing any indispensable players. Deco doesn't see it as a bad option, although the final decision will depend on the player's performance in preseason.
Olmo and Gavi also on the tightrope
Dani Olmo will lose the leading role he desired and his position would shift to the wings as an alternative to Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. Gavi also doesn't have a place if Flick's new setup is consolidated. His options would depend on rotating in the pivot position.
In other words: Nico Williams isn't just coming to reinforce, but to transform Barça's attacking scheme. Flick has his own ideas, and he doesn't hesitate to carry them out, even if it means leaving established names aside.