If there is a Barça footballer who is taking advantage of his loan, that is Abde Ezzalzouli. The Moroccan striker was once again decisive in the victory against Athletic in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals which feeds Osasuna’s illusions of being in what would be the second final of the KO tournament in its history.
Abde is getting away with the Rojillo team with his electric and vertical football. He has surrendered to the El Sadar stands and has ended up winning over his coach, Joseba Arrasate, who has ended up concluding that the best thing for the team is not to restrict the freedom of his young pupil.
Arrasate has given Abde carte blanche and he has responded with his unbalancing football and goals. The Moroccan was already key in qualifying for the semifinals, scoring the winning goal against Sevilla, against whom he repeated in the League this last day, scoring the 2-3 win that gave Osasuna a quality victory.
Barça was already aware of the player’s potential when they gave him up. That is why he categorically refused to include a purchase option … and why he included the popularly known ‘fear clause’ that prevents him from facing the team led by Xavi Hernández this season, a clause that Barça also included in the contract loan of Nico to Valencia.
And he was not wrong, just as he was not wrong two summers ago when he decided to pay two million to Hercules to get his services. Abde is perhaps the footballer who is taking advantage of his loan from him the most. His good performances in Osasuna have added to his World Cup debut with Morocco, which has catapulted him internationally. So much so that several Premier League teams have him on their agenda. Chelsea, Wolverhampton, and Nottingham Forest are the most interested, especially the Tricky Trees, recently promoted but with a very high economic potential thanks to the work and grace of its owner, the Greek magnate Evangelos Marinakis.
Barça’s intention is for Abde to integrate into the discipline of the first team, especially considering that Xavi does not have a pure left-footed winger, beyond Ansu Fati, who likes to start from the left wing. In principle, the Moroccan forward would have a first-team number, although the stifled economy of the Blaugrana club could force them to accept a transfer if they receive a million-dollar offer.
