By Guest Writer Thomas Rooney
With the antics of Real Madrid’s spending still fresh in the memory, you would have been forgiven for thinking that it is impossible for Spanish clubs to sell their best players as well as buy them from other teams.
Well, this has now happened and surprisingly enough, it doesn’t involve Real Madrid. They are the big spenders of this summer, not the big sellers. Instead, it is Barcelona that are letting one of their biggest players move on.
Samuel Eto’o has reportedly agreed personal terms with Inter Milan after a swap deal involving striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved closer. This means that the man who has scored over 100 goals for Barcelona is set to leave the club after five years.
The only complication in the transfer going through appears to be a loyalty bonus with Barcelona, but Eto’o has been quoted as saying that this should be ‘settled in a week or so’.
This would certainly be an interesting move for everyone involved. Eto’o has been a huge success at the Nou Camp and it will be very intriguing to see if he can handle a new challenge, in a new league. He has the talent to do so, it’s just a case of how quickly he will settle into his new squad.
Then, there is the argument that Barcelona are taking a risk by letting Eto’o go. He is a very popular figure at Barcelona and has scored many goals for them. He often steps his game up for the big occasion as well, much like he did in last season’s Champions League final. So, he could very well be missed.
In Zlatan Ibrahimovic though, Pep Guardiola is getting another world-class player. He is a different player entirely from Eto’o, but he can be equally as successful. No doubt about that. You don’t score the goals he does without having something special about you.
All in all, this swap deal just adds to the excitement surrounding the new season. Kaka, Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic are all new to the Spanish League and it is going to be fascinating to see how they get on.
Real Madrid v Barcelona could be better than ever – that seems a safe Spanish football bet to make!
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