Barcelona's Striker Search: Hamza Abdelkarim Impresses
Barcelona’s striker search has dominated the summer, but while the spotlight sits on big names and big fees, one of the most intriguing options is already training under their roof.
As the club edges closer to wrapping up deals for Joao Cancelo and Rodri, the number nine position remains unsolved. Talks over Julian Alvarez have stalled, with Atletico Madrid standing firm over one of their key attackers. The chase for a marquee forward is dragging on.
So Barcelona have started to look both outwards and inwards. Viktor Gyokeres has been mentioned as a possible target. Inside the training ground, though, another name is gaining traction: Hamza Abdelkarim.
Hamza makes his mark
Mundo Deportivo report that Hamza needed only one session to turn heads. From his first day, the young Egyptian forward impressed the staff with the instincts of a natural finisher, the kind of penalty-box predator Barcelona have been missing.
In a dedicated finishing session set up to test him, Hamza showed he can score in different ways. He bent shots into the far corner. He snapped onto loose balls for sharp, poacher’s finishes at the near post. The coaches saw variety, but also conviction.
One early header, struck with real force and perfect timing, reportedly stunned those watching. It underlined what he brings: raw power, clean technique, and an eye for goal that can’t be taught.
The tools are there. The question for Barcelona’s staff has been how to shape them.
Teaching him to live in the box
That work has already started. The coaching team identified a key flaw in his early days on trial.
Hamza had quickly noticed how Barcelona’s forwards often drop between the lines, coming short to help in the build-up. Eager to fit in, he began copying that movement, drifting too far from the area where he is most dangerous.
Pol Planas and his staff stepped in. They set out to strip that habit back, telling him to leave the box only when the play truly demands it. The message: your job is to finish moves, not start them.
To drive the point home, they turned to video. Clips of Erling Haaland, Viktor Gyokeres and Samuel Eto’o have been used as a tactical classroom, showing how elite penalty-box strikers live off the shoulder of defenders, hold their positions and attack space at the decisive moment.
The idea is simple and ruthless: keep Hamza close to the penalty area, keep him facing goal, and let his instincts do the rest.
It is the same principle Hansi Flick is applying with him. The new coach wants a striker who occupies centre-backs, pins them back and punishes any lapse inside the box. Hamza is being moulded to fit that profile.
Barcelona still hope to land a headline signing before the window closes. But if the market refuses to bend to their will, they may find themselves turning to the young Egyptian who is quietly learning how to become their ultimate finisher.
