Carles Aleña's special clause which allowed him to leave Barça on loan

Ernesto Valverde surprised everyone when he explained that Carles Aleña decided to leave Barça on loan due to a specific clause in his contract. In fact, he's the only player in the squad to have such a clause in his existing deal. The clause itself allowed the midfielder to leave on loan if he hadn't played a certain amount of matches. After failing to appear in 18 consecutive matches, Aleña decided he needed a change of scenery.

The La Masia graduate had the option to leave at the end of August, again to Betis, but Barça moved quickly to retain his services and promised he would be a key member of the squad. Aleña turned down the move and opted to stay at the Camp Nou.

After starting the opening match of the season, Aleña disappeared from view until an injury crisis in midfield saw Valverde recall him to the squad. By this point he already knew of Betis' continued interest and was determined to move on in order to play regularly again.

Barça tried to convince him to stay following the injury to Arthur and the question marks surrounding Arturo Vidal's future this month. However, following the broken promises of game time in August didn't want to spend another six months largely on the sidelines. He played his first minutes of the season for his new club following the Christmas break. 

Barça maintain that Aleña is someone they value highly and, when he returns in the summer, will be used as a crucial member of the first team squad. For this reason, they hope his move to Betis allows him to continue his development ahead of the 2020/21 season.