Hansi Flick’s Key Request Nears Fulfilment as Barcelona’s New Gym Approaches Completion

Barcelona are nearly ready to deliver one of Hansi Flick’s key requests, a new gym at the club’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training base, according to Spanish outlet SPORT.

Work on the building has reached its final stages, and the club hope the players can start using it once the international break ends. A few jobs remain, mainly the installation of the equipment, but the first team should get access in the coming weeks.

The plan was first reported in the summer, when Barca said they wanted to give the squad top-level facilities. Until now, the players have used a gym in another part of the complex for strength work and recovery. Flick and his staff felt that was not good enough and asked for a modern setup closer to the training pitches.

To make it happen, Barcelona used part of the area beside one of the training pitches. The idea is simple. Players can finish a session on the grass and head straight to the gym, without moving around the complex, which makes the daily schedule easier to manage.

Fitness coach Benjamin Kugel has been the driving force behind the project. The German joined Barcelona this summer at Flick’s request, with the job of raising the standard of the team’s physical preparation. He and other members of Flick’s staff have been checking on the construction in person in recent weeks.

Kugel is known as a methodical man who pays attention to the smallest details. On his visits, he passed on several ideas to the club about parts of the facility that could be improved.

The target is to open the gym after the international break, though the final date depends on the remaining building work and on when the equipment arrives and is installed.