What Role Will Alen Halilovic Play for Barcelona in 12 Months' Time?
Barcelona fans who have tuned in to any of Sporting Gijon's recent games will have been delighted with the form of Croatian star Alen Halilovic.
The midfielder is on loan from the Catalan club, partly thanks to the good relationship between Barcelona boss Luis Enrique and his Sporting counterpart, Abelardo Fernandez.
Halilovic has gone from strength to strength in red and white, and many are already considering what role he might have next season back on Spain's east coast.
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However, they might be disappointed with recent reports suggesting that not only will Halilovic not be in the Catalan capital next season, but he might not even be a Barcelona player at all.
According to Sport, Barcelona are considering selling the 19-year-old from Dubrovnik:
"FC Barcelona intend to sell all the players that Luis Enrique does not count on next season and Croatian midfielder Alen Halilovic is one of those. ...
The club will listen to offers for Halilovic at the end of the season, but [insist] on a buy-back clause.Halilovic is a player that has the material to be a crack and a part of Barcelona's future, but at the moment the club are partial to these types of deals.
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Barcelona recently have sold several young, promising players with buy-back clauses embedded into the transfer deals. The likes of Gerard Deulofeu and Adama Traore have signed for Premier League sides Everton and Aston Villa, respectively, in this way.
From the selling club’s perspective, it makes more sense than a loan spell for various reasons. It is more concrete for both the player and the purchasing side. The player can now think about his long-term future being away from Camp Nou, even though Barcelona have the option to bring him back.
It means players will likely get more chances and better development, whereas on a loan deal the buying side won’t be overly concerned with anything more than getting the maximum value out of the new arrival for the time being.
That might mean being played to exhaustion or not featuring at all. The player’s feelings aren’t often taken into consideration, because at the end of the season he’ll be back off to his parent club.
When a player is sold, even with a buy-back clause, it encourages the team who have signed him to treat him like it would any of their other players.
Barcelona are quite concerned about Halilovic’s development, having insisted in the summer that any side taking him on loan would play him in more than 60 percent of matches, as noted by Sport.
According to AS, this demand actually caused Hamburg to pull out of a deal for the Barcelona man:
"Hamburg have officially announced through their club Twitter account that the Bundesliga side will not continue with the signing of Croatia midfielder Alen Halilovic from FC Barcelona. Hamburg stated that they could not meet the appearance clause of 60 percent of available minutes throughout the season that Barcelona had asked be inserted into any deal for the promising 19-year-old.
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However, not only is he getting games at Sporting Gijon, but he is dominating them. It’s rare and surprising to see a player so young be such a key force in the core of his team.
Sporting are a young side in general, but Halilovic is one of the rawest players in the team. However, his performances have shown maturity beyond his age, both on the ball and off it.
Although there were some qualms about his attitude at Barcelona, as evidenced when he stormed off after being substituted in a Barcelona B game, he has had no problems whatsoever at Sporting.
When not in possession, he works hard and presses, but where he really shines is when he is in control.
He runs the show for Sporting, his creative passes and cutting dribbling being their main method of turning defence into attack. But he's not just about raw, jagged counters; Halilovic can control the tempo of the game, too.
Technically adroit, his skill set does suit Barcelona. He has even drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi. His movement, body shape and aggressive style in attacking with the ball all bring to mind the Argentine.
Of course, comparing anyone to Messi is always going to be unfavourable for the other player, and Halilovic has a long way to go to be even close to comparing with a player like him.
Furthermore, at the moment it doesn't seem like he has the flexibility to play as a forward, but rather more an attacking midfielder.
He's not often been used in wide positions but could probably manage the job, so if he was brought back to Barcelona, that's probably where he might get some playing time.
If he was in the current Barcelona squad, he would definitely get some minutes, but that’s largely because of other problems.
With Xavi Hernandez and Pedro Rodriguez gone and the side having suffered a multitude of injury problems, Halilovic would have been useful. But when Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal are eligible to play, and presuming the likes of Andres Iniesta don’t need to spend more time on the treatment table, there aren’t that many gaps in the team for him.
If Barcelona sign an attacking player in January, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that there will be space for Halilovic next term, especially if they want him to continue his development by playing lots of matches.
That adds extra gravitas to Sport’s suggestion that he may be sold in the summer with a buy-back clause. If that is the case, there should be no shortage of suitors for the midfielder.
An important part of the puzzle is Rafinha. The Brazilian is seemingly out injured until the end of the season. If he is fit by the conclusion of this summer’s campaign and gets fit over the summer, he'll be a further barrier to entry in Halilovic’s book.
But should Rafinha suffer any injury setbacks over the next few months, Luis Enrique may be forced to rethink whether incorporating the Croatian is a good idea or not. Rafinha provides cover for both wide attacking positions as well as in central midfield.
If Halilovic were to be kept at Barcelona, he would be most comfortable in Andres Iniesta’s position. The veteran Spaniard will need a rest now and then, so it’s not a bad place for the 19-year-old to be.
Although he is still raw and makes some mistakes on the pitch, Lucho would probably allow him to work his magic as Barcelona’s chief creative force in games against the likes of Deportivo de la Coruna, Real Betis, Granada, Malaga and Espanyol—all of whom he has either scored or assisted against this season.
Halilovic is becoming a decisive force for his side, which is a valuable quality. In 12 months' time he may be plying his trade elsewhere in La Liga, or even elsewhere in the world, but we can be sure that Barcelona are keeping a close eye on him, ready to pull the trigger on a potential buy-back deal as soon as deemed necessary.
He has a big future ahead of him.
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