It could be one of the shortest romances in the history of football. In January this year, Ibrahim Afellay completed his move from Dutch giants PSV to Catalan Kings Barcelona, upon arrival the tricky winger described the move as a dream, well now that dream appears to be turning into a nightmare.
According to various media sources, the player is frustrated at lack of first team opportunities despite only being at the club for two months. Some would say he isn’t giving it a fair crack of the whip, but Liverpool are hoping to use that frustration in order to complete a move for the Dutch ace.
The player began his career with the PSV youth team and at the age of 17 he broke into the first 11 making his debut against NAC Breda in January 2004. He made his full breakthrough into the side during the 2005/2006 campaign, the same season he got a taste for Champions League football. Afellay was around the first team for 8 seasons and in that team he appeared in 217 games and scored 39 goals. He was
viewed as one of the hottest young talents in European football and many clubs were interested in the players signature, Liverpool were very close to signing the player before he signed for Barcelona, but ultimately he picked Catalonia over Merseyside for a fee thought to be as low as £2.5million.
[bet_365 type=’odds’ size=’300′ af_code=’365_061436′]
After a short spell where he has struggled to start games, the player is now supposedly considering his future and a move to the club he initially turned down may be on the cards.
Afellay is best played in an attacking midfield role, he is a good passer, a tricky dribbler and is a decent finisher. He is also quite comfortable playing on the wings, he is quite small so he may have issues in a more physical league but I don’t necessarily see it as that much of a problem.
The player who was once linked to Arsenal, would probably cost Liverpool around £9million which considering what they paid for him would be a great deal for Barcelona. He would also be an excellent addition to the Liverpool squad, he could be used on the wings, but ideally centrally playing with one of Gerrard and Meireles.
Afellay was never going to be a starter for Barcelona straight away, and I cannot imagine the player thought that he would be himself, that is why I find it strange that he is apparently so frustrated about playing from the bench. He has appeared in 10 games in 2 months for Barcelona, although only 5 of those were league games and they were mostly substitute appearances, I am surprised that he is not prepared to bide his time especially after claiming it was his dream to play for the club.
If he were to be sold in the Summer, Liverpool would be signing a very good player and someone who would offer a lot to their rebuilding project.
I am still unsure as to whether it will come off, if the player was to see more game time between now and the end of the Spanish season, he may be prepared to stick it out another year, but if those frustrations continue to grow, a move could be on the cards this Summer.
For more of the finest rumours, follow me on twitter @soccercityjoe
