Is Konrad de la Fuente a good pickaxe?

Yes, Pablo Longoria is about to pull off a great shot

It was only a few minutes after the first publication of the information that Barcelona fans came forward on social networks. And this, unanimously: Konrad de la Fuente would be a big loss for Barça in the event that OM had the possibility of permanently snatching him from the Catalans. Truth be told, some observers see this as a serious mistake on the part of Joan Laporta’s management, as he is probably the club’s most talented attacking player yet to be in the first team alongside Alex Collado. This is not an undesirable element in the eyes of the Barcelona leaders, clearly not, and Ronald Koeman would also be a big fan of him, but the competition is fierce up front at Barca, especially with the attacking players who will arrive this summer.

One thing is certain, he has everything to set the Vélodrome on fire. His profile as a very hard-hitting winger, combining above-average physical conditions and excellent technique, make him a profile that is quite rare in today’s football, and logically prized. The Hispanic-American is an excellent dribbler, and we can say that he is a self-sufficient player, able to create hot situations for himself, without depending on his partners or the form of the team. That, and a certain versatility peculiar to offensive players that La Masia has produced in recent years, since if he shone as a left winger with Barça’s B team, he is also capable of evolving to the right or even in point of attack. Everything will depend on what Jorge Sampaoli seeks to do with him.

It should also be noted that the price mentioned for the moment – 5 million euros – is surprisingly low, even if his lease with the Catalan team expires in a year. Often stuck on the sideline, just as he is also capable of coming into the halfspaces, his transfer amount would be quite ridiculous when you see the sums sometimes paid for prospects in the current market. Especially for an attacking player who, if he remains young, has still proven himself every weekend in the Spanish third division this season, a category known to be quite hard physically, especially for young players. This is not a player whose OM will have to complete training, but a winger already operational.

… but it is necessary (a lot) to qualify

Operational, but in a different context … Even if he has already started with the US A team and we have seen him in action for a few minutes under the orders of Ronald Koeman this season, it is about of a player who does not yet have any real experience in the elite of football. This is completely normal given his young age, but arriving in a championship very different from what he has known can create adaptation problems. Recent examples of offensive players of this profile who have left La Masia, such as Gerard Deulofeu, are not necessarily convincing …

In addition, some also evoke a slightly stereotypical style of play. You can’t talk about him as an individualist player, but it’s true that he can tend not to let go of the ball at the right time and impale himself in the defenses. Who says a player who tries a lot also means a player who has a lot of waste. “He could further strengthen his qualities in the imbalance with other solutions, such as combinations that some partners can offer him. He would thus be a player with more alternatives in attack and sometimes less predictable ”, recently summed up Marcel Sans, one of his coaches at La Masia, for Marca.

In Jorge Sampaoli’s eleven, it’s hard to see where he could play. In his recent experiences, the Argentinian coach has also often had trouble with the players of his profile, not because he does not like them, but because the corridors are generally animated by pistons, position where we do not I don’t necessarily imagine De La Fuente at ease, at least not on what he has shown so far. And if he plays with wingers, Sampaoli asks them to play fairly axial and leave the corridor to the full-backs. In a slightly different register from Konrad, Vitolo had for example succeeded in Sevilla, but the Argentinian tactician rather likes offensive players able to make differences via a well-felt pass than by attempting breakthroughs with the ball at the foot. But there is no doubt that the former coach of the Albiceleste will find a place for him …