By Ewah Chika.
Football fans were shocked when it was revealed that Barcelona had sold Croatian wonder kid Alen Halilovic to Hamburg for €5 million although with a buy-back clause which represents a profit of €2.8 million considering he was signed for €2.2 million in 2014.
Barcelona's loss has now become Hamburg's gain judging from the player's current form.
The youngster's sale will make the sale of Arda Turan more difficult considering the fact the Turk, Rafinha and Dennis Suarez are the other options in attack apart from the impressive trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar. On current form, Halilovic won't make the starting eleven considering the abundance of talents at the club nor is he expected to make the step up next year which makes it logical that he is sold with a buy-back clause to a team where his progress is guaranteed like Barcelona did with Dennis Suarez before signing him for €3 million this season from Villarreal.
Halilovic is expected to be a revelation in the German Bundesliga considering his ability to break through the lines and easily dribble past defenders in a manner reminiscent of Lionel Messi. The move to Hamburg is right for the player given that he will see game time in Hamburg as the club has a rich history of grooming youngsters, having made no league appearance for the Catalan club since his move in 2014. Last season, Halilovic showed glimpses of his ability in Sporting Gijon as he scored three goals in 35 league games helping Sporting to escape relegation on the last day of the season. The midfielder loves playing as a No. 10 or on the right flank which suits his high paced style of running at opposition defenders, shooting from long range and playing key passes to team mates.
"I spoke with coach Bruno Labbadia and the directors. They've shown me how much they want me at the club. I will play as playmaker, Labbadia told me this, but I can play on the right wing," Halilovic told the press on his unveiling in a Hamburg on Thurday.
The major flaw in the youngster's game is his indecision and inability to make the right choice (when to pass, shoot or hold on to the ball) in the final third. This has made the youngster play with an inconsistency which cannot be tolerated in a top club like Barcelona although this will come with age as he gains more experience. This was perhaps one of the reasons the youngster could not make the final 23 man squad for Croatia in Euro 2016 in the summer. While the news of his exclusion was shocking to the Croatian and his agent , it wasn't to football analysts as the his Croatian team mates namely Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Marko Pjaca (Juventus), Matteo Kovacic (Real Madrid) and Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) are all ahead of him in ranking.
The prospect of selling the youngster with a buy-back clause of €10 million in the first year and €12 million in the second year is based on the fact that it will allow him concentrate on his football for at least two years while the deal lasts instead of sending him on a season long loan and then start from the stretch to think and plan a second loan deal the next season, which will put a big question mark on his future considering the energy , time and monetary resources that will be used up during negotiations .
By selling him with an option of a buy-back, Barcelona retain the right to resign him in two years time when he fully develops as expected. This is a decision made based on logic and foresight rather than on emotions as the youngster will benefit more from regular game time and less pressure in a top European league which Hamburg currently plays in (German Bundesliga).
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