The fact that Hansi Flick was the German manager who handed Karim Adeyemi his debut in the national team should be more than enough for culers to accept that the former knows exactly what he’s doing by landing the 24-year-old from Borussia Dortmund.
Formerly at RB Salzburg, he took the same route out as Erling Haaland, and whilst the latter has moved on to Manchester City, all of the news reports suggest that Adeyemi will soon be unveiled by Barcelona, with all but the formalities to be ironed out.
Although one could suggest the player isn’t a ‘headline grabber’ for want of a better phrase, he is, nonetheless, an exciting, albeit inconsistent, talent.
His pace certainly isn’t in question, and given the recent hire of Anthony Gordon, who is also a bit of a speedster, that may not be a coincidence.
What’s also very much in Adeyemi’s favour is that he can play in all three positions across the front line, and that type of versatility is rare in football in this day and age.
A total of 23 goals in 98 games across four Bundesliga seasons represents a 1-in-4 goals-to-games ratio, which, for a player ostensibly a winger, isn’t too bad at all.
Sixteen assists in the same period could, perhaps, be improved upon significantly.
One goal in six domestic cup games, as well as 12 goals and six assists in 42 Champions League/Club World Cup games, gives the sum total of his output in a Dortmund shirt.
Although they’re not necessarily numbers that will get culers overexcited, it must be remembered that there is plenty of room for improvement from Adeyemi’s point of view, he’s at the perfect age to make the leap to Barca and learn from his former national team manager, and this is the opportunity of a lifetime for him.
A reported transfer fee of €29m also makes the move a bit of a no-brainer, particularly if Barca are still trying to twist Atleti’s arms to get them to sell Julian Alvarez.
With Marcus Rashford very unlikely to be signed permanently now, and Roony Bardghji arguably not Barcelona class either, it’s important that the club have the wide positions covered with players who offer elite-level experience, and can give Flick some food for thought when it comes to selection.
Whilst it’s clear that Adeyemi isn’t yet the finished article, and so patience is very definitely required, there’s enough about the various aspects of his skill set to be intrigued at worst.
If incremental improvements can be made during his time at the club, too, then Flick and Deco should be lauded for their foresight.
