The two options Barcelona must weigh up with in-form winger Abde
The Catalan club would like to give him a chance but the financial aspect is important
A blessed problem is looming for FC Barcelona. The extraordinary performance of Abde Ezzalzouli (21) with Osasuna will force the Blaugrana management to make an important decision in the next transfer window. At the end of the current season, they will have to choose between giving the Moroccan winger a chance in the first team or taking advantage of the fact that he has shone in LaLiga at El Sadar to negotiate an important sale that will help to oxygenate the club's accounts.
As in almost any debate, there are arguments for and against both alternatives. On the one hand, it is unquestionable that Abde has shown in recent months that he is more than capable of being important and decisive in a team at the highest level of Spanish football. Both in LaLiga and in the Copa del Rey.
Furthermore, his uninhibited profile and his personality make him one of those different and unpredictable players that are so hard to find on the market and that this season, especially after Ousmane Dembélé's injury, Barça would have greatly appreciated.
It is important to note, in this regard, that the future of the Frenchman, who has a contract until 30 June 2024, is unknown. Ousmane's representatives and Barça will have to come to an agreement again if they intend to extend the link that binds them.
The technical secretariat also wants to completely overhaul the attacking line: at the moment, Robert Lewandowski is the only one whose presence in the squad for the coming campaign seems to be assured. Abde could be a fresh and 'low-cost' reinforcement for the forward line in a complicated financial context.
Final exam
The financial situation, paradoxically, is also one of the main reasons behind the option of transferring the winger. Signed at the end of August 2021 for just two million euros, the profit that a major sale of Abde, who has many suitors in the Premier League, could leave in the club's coffers would be considerable.
A hypothetical exit of Ansu Fati, a home-grown player, would also be considerable, but with Raphinha and Ferran Torres, if Barça were to listen to offers for them, we would already be entering into issues of amortisation. It is for this reason, and because of Xavi's confidence in both, that it is unlikely that the Brazilian and the Valencian will be moving on in the near future.
Abde will play 10 games until the end of the season -- nine league games and the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid -- with the aim of proving that he deserves a place on Barça's roster for the 2023/24 season. So far, he has five goals and two assists in 26 appearances.
There is no doubt that he can be a guaranteed resource for the depth of the squad, but there is no certainty that he has the conditions to be a regular starter in the short term. The offers that come in for the Moroccan will end up tipping the balance: in the offices of the Spotify Camp Nou they cannot afford to reject 'dizzying' proposals for him.
