FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is reportedly close to strengthening his backroom staff, with reports claiming the club has reached an agreement to appoint fitness expert Holger Broich.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo and Cadena SER, Broich is expected to join Barcelona as Flick’s preferred specialist in physical preparation, marking another key addition to the German coach’s technical team.
Flick initially brought in Julio Tous to lead the club’s physical preparation department after replacing Xavi Hernández in the summer of 2024.
The partnership proved successful on the pitch, with Barcelona winning five of the six major domestic trophies available over the past two seasons, while rivals Real Madrid CF ended the campaign without silverware.
However, the 2025/26 season exposed growing concerns over the club’s injury record.
Brazilian forward Raphinha suffered a recurrence of a muscle injury ahead of October’s El Clásico defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu, while March brought further setbacks when defenders Alejandro Balde and Jules Koundé both picked up muscle injuries during Barcelona’s 3-0 Copa del Rey semi-final second-leg victory over Atlético Madrid. Despite the win, the Catalans were eliminated after a heavy first-leg defeat.
Raphinha later sustained another hamstring injury while on international duty with Brazil, forcing him to miss both legs of Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final exit against Atlético Madrid. Midfielder Frenkie de Jong also joined the injury list during the same period.
Flick publicly expressed his frustration over the recurring fitness issues.
“I’m not happy about these injuries. We have several injured players and this is not good. Things have to be improved; you have to talk to the doctors and physical preparation professionals about how to prevent three players from being injured in a week.”
The expected arrival of Broich is seen as part of Flick’s effort to improve Barcelona’s fitness management and reduce the number of muscle injuries that disrupted the club’s campaign.
