After numerous reports in recent weeks, we can now safely confirm that Livepool have reached a three year agreement with Barcelona’s 16-year-old striker Sergi Canós, the player is set to join the Merseyside club starting next season. Eventhough the deal is yet to be officially announced by either club, various sources close to the Blaugrana academy have assured us the player is all set for a move to England. He was even spotted entering the English clubs facilities at Anfield recently, all but removing any lingering doubts about the transfer.
The player will be earning a handsome £600,000 over the course of his three year contract with Liverpool, which is over ten times the amount he would receive had he decided to remain at Barcelona. I’ve had an incredible amount of Liverpool fans asking for information on Sergi Canós over the past few days, so a short profile on the youngster was inevitable.
Speaking of inevitable, one word that instantly popped into my head every time I’ve watched Sergi Canós over the past three season’s is ‘Class’. Right from his exemplary touch, his silky finishing, to the way he portrays himself on the field, the boy oozes class.
Canós was born on February 2, 1997, in the Nules province of Castellón. He began his career playing for the Alevin side (U12) of Nules, where he spent the 2009/10 season, before being spotted by scouts of FC Barcelona. He rejected proposals from the likes of Valencia, Villarreal and Atletico before landing at La Masia in 2010, where he immediately joined the Infantil A (Under 14) side of the club. Since then, he has consistently impressed the coaches at the club and has graduated through three youth teams, the Infantil A, Cadet B and his current side, the Cadet A.
Canós adapted perfectly to the tiki taka model employed at La Masia, and was one of the standouts in his first season at the club under the orders of Fran Sánchez, a coach who famously trained the 91 generation of La Masia, consisting the likes of Thiago, Tello, Cuenca, Montoya, Bartra, Rochina, Dani Pacheco etc. His team won the league with some extraordinary records that season: In a total of 28 games, they managed an incredible 25 wins, 2 draws and only a single defeat, with a goal difference of 130, scoring 141 and conceding only 11.
Last season, at the Cadet B, he repeated the title under the orders of Fran Artiga and in his third and now final season at the club, with Quique Alvarez as coach, Canós managed an impressive feat playing in all six attacking positions. He was mostly employed at far right, and is known for his physical strength, his speed in dribble and especially his executive capacity. He displays solidarity and discipline on the field, but has a tendency to ‘tune off’ during the game at times.
For a youth player to score five goals in a game is somewhat normal upto the U15 level, however the frequency decreases as they begin to climb a step higher each season, especially once they reach the U17s, where its almost impossible. I say almost, because Canós was one of the few who achieved this historic feat when his team (Cadet A) thrashed Badalona 1-6 this season. A feat which only very few graduates have achieved in recent memory, namely Bojan Krkic, Ruben Rochina, Jean Marie Dongou. The difficulty of the opponent and the game being held away from home gave Canós performance even more merit, as he was switched from right forward to a more central role (his best position in my opinion) for this game due to an injury to teammate Alexis Meva. Canós marked his ‘Manita’ by scoring three goals with his right foot, one with the left and one from the penalty spot, converting a penalty won by himself.
He debuted with the Spain U15 side in 2012, and was even called up to the Spanish U17 side recently, despite being an year younger to his teammates. From what I’m told he is a good student, was very much loved in La Masia and his idol, whom he admires most is none other than David Villa. If he flourishes as I expect him to under Brendan Rodgers, he should be knocking on the first team doors at Anfield within the next 2 or 3 years. In the mean time, Liverpool fans can enjoy his skills in the Nextgen Series.
http://footyaccumulators.com/news/liverpool-sign-coveted-barcelona-starlet-sergi-canos/
