Barcelona finally register their new signings. Cancelo is left alone at LaLiga’s door

Refreshing the LaLiga website has finally produced good news for Barcelona. Rodri, Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon have all been registered and are eligible to face Elche on Sunday. The decision now belongs to Hansi Flick rather than an online database.

Rodri and Adeyemi were the first names to appear on the official list. Andreas Christensen followed, before Gordon’s registration was completed at 19:54. Only a few hours earlier, Héctor Fort had looked almost lonely in Barcelona’s squad section. By Friday evening, the club had finally shown that the 1:1 rule was working as a genuine financial mechanism rather than another phrase for a press conference.

Christensen’s situation provides the most Barcelona-like detail. The Dane is not a new player, but the paperwork effectively treats him as one. His previous contract expired on 30 June and his new deal was signed the following day. LaLiga therefore required a separate registration for a footballer who has not changed clubs since 2022.

Jesse Bisiwu is expected to be registered with the reserve team, which will still allow Flick to include him in the senior squad. That leaves João Cancelo as the only new arrival who has not yet appeared in the system.

The Portuguese defender has signed a contract until June 2029, trained with the group and declared himself ready to play. LaLiga is still waiting for the remaining formalities to be completed. Spanish reports have pointed to outstanding documents and procedures connected to his departure from Al-Hilal.

That does not mean Cancelo has been ruled out of the match against Elche. Barcelona still have time to complete his registration and the club expect the process to be successful. His place in the squad would not be guaranteed even then, as he has completed only a limited number of training sessions with his teammates. Paperwork first, Flick’s decision second. Barcelona have respected the correct order, which is already worth noting.

The registrations of Rodri, Adeyemi and Gordon offer the first clear evidence that Barcelona’s return to LaLiga’s 1:1 rule has genuinely changed the club’s position. In previous years, Barça could sign a player, present him, begin selling his shirt and only then investigate whether he was allowed to play. This time, most of the work has been completed two days before the match.

It does not mean that every problem has disappeared. Cancelo is still waiting and the clock is running before the trip to Elche. The difference is that Barcelona are no longer attempting to register half of the team at the same time. There is only one player and one folder left.

Barça therefore won their first important contest of the season on Friday. The opponent was LaLiga’s registration system and the current score is 4–0. Cancelo is still playing his own extra time.