Barcelona Transfer Rumors: Blaugrana Smart to Part Ways with Ibrahim Afellay

Barcelona appears to be moving on from Ibrahim Afellay and the club is making the right move as the Dutchman is no longer needed at the Camp Nou.

Goal.com’s Vittorio Campanile reported that Barça have informed Afellay’s agent that the winger will not be back with the club. Campanile also noted that the 26-year-old has been offered to Arsenal and Inter Milan for a €6 million fee.

Afellay is a solid player, but he has never proven that he can be more than a substitute while with the Blaugrana. 

He suffered an unfortunate knee injury in training this past season, and this caused him to miss most of the year. He appeared in just four La Liga matches. 

Afellay was bought from PSV Eindhoven in 2010 for €3 million. Since then he has made only 20 appearances and scored one goal. 

The Dutch international started two of his country’s three matches at Euro 2012 but failed to record a goal or an assist in the team’s disappointing performance. 

While injuries have severely limited his opportunities, he is no longer young enough to warrant the “prospect” label. 

He is not the same caliber of player as regular starters like Pedro and Alexis Sanchez—both of whom started 20 matches—or David Villa, who will return from a broken leg. 

Factor in Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas, who often plays along the front line, and this leaves no room for inclusion in the first-11.

The team prefers to use up-and-comers from its heralded youth program as attacking substitutes. Isaac Cuenca, who is 21 years old, and Cristian Tello, 20, both spent time in the team’s academy and are frequently used as reserves on the wing.

Afellay is a talented player who, when healthy, is capable of providing productive play for nearly any team in the world. Unfortunately, he is on the most loaded team in football right now, and there is simply no place for him.

Campanile suggests in his report that the money from Afellay’s sale will be used to add another midfielder. He believes Javi Martinez is a likely target, and with Seydou Keita on his way out, the need for a player like the Atletico Bilbao man is a pressing need.

This is an unfortunate situation for Afellay, who was never given a chance to make a name for himself with Barcelona.

But Barça will be expected to recapture the La Liga and Champions League titles this season, and to do that, they must reallocate resources to add players in the defense and midfield. That means getting rid of an attacker, and Afellay is the odd man out.