With the news that Manchester United have contacted Alejandro Balde’s representatives, a unique and fascinating dilemma has been placed in front of FC Barcelona’s hierarchy. Following Newcastle United’s decision to keep talented left-back Lewis Hall, the Red Devils appear to have turned their full attention to Barcelona's Alejandro Balde.
Although it has been reported that Balde himself is very content with his position in Spain and is keen to succeed at his boyhood club, head coach Hansi Flick reportedly has many doubts as regards to the Spaniard’s development as a player.
The 22-year-old has not truly developed as many would have hoped in the recent seasons. Do Barcelona stand by their academy graduate due to mere sentimentality, or do they act like the modern day, ruthless superclub and cash in?
The stagnation of Balde’s potential
When Balde first exploded onto the scene at the Camp Nou, all signs indicated that he was destined to become the best left-back in world football. He possesses all the raw attributes necessary to accomplish such a feat: blistering pace, incredible dribbling ability, tireless effort in recovering the ball, and an outstanding ability to recover from challenges. The one major attribute missing was his ability in final product: crossing.
Every one of us had expected him to adapt and improve in the final third and become the complete package over time, like Nuno Mendes has done.
But the last couple of seasons have been frustrating, as nothing significant has come from his end product, and that has translated into a falling market value.
Flick’s suspicions and a deepened squad
The German manager’s suspicions have been made very apparent in the previous season, as he opted to play 32-year-old Joao Cancelo (who has just recently signed a 3 year contract with Barcelona) at left back, because at present he offers more to his team in terms of both reliability and offensive quality than that of Balde.
Besides the fact that Flick no longer favours Balde over other alternatives in his team, it also appears as though the Club might also have alternative solutions ready. Barcelona are apparently in the lookout for La Liga left back Jorge Salinas. The progression of La Masia graduate Jordi Pesquer, already seems to have earned the manager's trust.
Abandon the “we don’t sell” mentality
Barcelona have historically prided themselves on ‘we don’t sell mentality’ but that mentality has significantly restricted their financial operations during a crisis that has been ongoing for some years now.
By contrast their arch rivals Real Madrid have perfected the ‘moving on from talent in order to bring in more talent’ mentality that enables them to perpetually perform at such high levels.
If the Premier League giants are willing to offer €40-50 million for Balde, Barcelona should be considering such an offer, and crucially avoid another season where Balde's market value depreciates significantly whilst being on relatively high wages.
Conclusion: Take the money
Ultimately, they must take the money. No matter how difficult it is to let go of your own La Masia academy graduates who adore the club such as Balde. For a club who need funds to re-invest and rejuvenate the team, €40-50 million could serve well for Barcelona. This wouldn’t be a sign of weakness, it would be a sign of intelligent and much-needed business.
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