Many recent FM wonderkids have made moves this summer. One of the more intriguing ones could be that of the versatile Argentinian international Valentin Barco, moving from Strasbourg to Chelsea for a reported fee of around £34m.
Barco was one of our favourite FM24 wonderkids
When Valentin Barco was still in his native Argentina with Boca Juniors, he was one of our favourite FM24 wonderkids. He was the typical highly talented youngster who can be picked up from a South American club for a ridiculously small fee on FM.
He would go on to fulfil his potential in most saves, and either become a top left-back or even a top left-winger, depending on how you developed him.
If you signed Barco in FM24 before any other club could nip in, it was considered a coup, as he was always highly in demand at the start of the game.
If you were a club with a small transfer budget, he was the sort of player who could really help you out, as he would inevitably move on to a club with bigger financial resources at a big profit.
His move to Brighton in the 2024 winter transfer window was a real downer for Barco fans, as we knew he would become far harder and more expensive to sign in the next edition of the game, which turned out to be FM26, by which time a lot had changed for Barco.
Barco has already had a few moves since FM24
The move to Brighton was just the start of a series of moves for the young Argentinian international. He made just six appearances for the Seagulls in the 2023/24 season after his January switch.
The team from the English south coast decided to loan him out for the 2024/25 season to La Liga outfit Sevilla. Once again, his appearances were limited, as he made just nine appearances across all competitions.
In fact, he didn’t complete the season with the Andalusians, as in the January 2025 transfer window he moved to Strasbourg, once again on loan.
This time he featured far more prominently, playing 14 times for the French club. His move to the Ligue One outfit was made permanent in the summer of 2025, when he joined Strasbourg for a reported fee of £7.87 million.
It was in the 2025/26 season that Barco really started to impress. It may have been no coincidence that it was also the campaign in which the Argentinian international switched to a defensive or central midfield role.
Barco seemed to thrive in the more central role. He scored three goals and also produced 11 assists as he helped the club qualify for Europe and reach the last four of the Europa Conference League.
His form was enough to earn him not only a move to Chelsea, but also a place in Argentina’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. He made one appearance in the competition in a 3-1 group stage win over Jordan, and eventually picked up a runners-up medal, as his team suffered a final defeat against Spain.
Why Barco’s versatility will be highly important for Chelsea
Barco’s versatility was always a handy asset to have on FM24. His slight drop in stats for FM26 meant that he wasn’t the same player as in the previous edition, until the game was updated. However, when the game was updated, his stats reflected his real-life performances.
However, in real life for Chelsea and probably for FM27, Barco may well once again prove to be a big asset, especially for head coach Xabi Alonso, who is known to be tactically adaptive, using formations such as 3-4-2-1, 3-4-3, 4-2-3-1 and even 3-2-5 while in possession.
Barco is an almost perfect player for Alonso, as he could play as a left-back who could invert, a left wing-back, or a central midfielder. His presence in the team also gives his coach the option to switch formations, knowing the 22-year-old can do a good job in whatever position he is placed in.
There is no guarantee that Barco will even start at Chelsea next season, as the Blues have so many options in all his positions. The Blues even recently signed left-back Pep Chavarría after the 28-year-old impressed at Rayo Vallecano. They already had highly-rated Dutch left-back Jorrel Hato on their books.
In central midfield, the Blues have Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Romeo Lavia, Diego Essugo and Jordan Henderson.
It could be argued that Barco is more creative than most of the Blues’ central midfielders, maybe barring Fernández, although Barco’s compatriot has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City.
It will be interesting to see how Barco develops at Chelsea, and if he is given a chance to impress from the start of the season.
The youngster’s performances for Strasbourg proved what he can do. Some will claim that Ligue One is generally a far inferior level to the Premier League, which is hard to argue against, with maybe the exception of back-to-back European champions PSG.
However, he still had to go out and impress, which he did in a new position. If he is given decent game time, then he may well start fulfilling his incredible potential from FM24 in real life.
Will Valentin Barco be a success at Chelsea this season?
