Barcelona are prepared to let Carles Alena leave the club in January on loan in search of more game-time, with Premier League clubs interested in his services.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Carles Alena has finally been offered the chance to leave Barcelona on loan till the rest of the season. The young Spaniard has often been frozen out of the starting lineup by Ernesto Valverde, largely due to the immense competition in the Barcelona midfield.
Alena has already attracted a lot of interest across La Liga as well as in the Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur, in particular, reportedly keen on his services. The player’s current contract, meanwhile, expires in 2023 and it does not look like Barcelona have any plans of letting go of their prized asset on a permanent basis.
But, allowing Alena to leave on loan could be a significant decision in the player’s future development. Alena, who was touted as the next big thing to come out of the famed La Masia academy in Barcelona, has seen his progress halted due to a lack of game-time over the last 12 months.
As a matter of fact, the midfielder has mustered just over 1,000 minutes of league football since being promoted to the first-team in November last year, which is why it came as a surprise that Barcelona had blocked a loan move for him in the summer. He has made only league appearance in the ongoing season, which is completely unacceptable for a player of his calibre.
That being said, only a few could blame Ernesto Valverde given the excessive competition in the Barcelona midfield, especially following the arrival of Frenkie de Jong in the summer. Even a well-established midfielder like Arturo Vidal has mustered only 312 minutes of league action so far.
As for Alena, a move to the Premier League might not be the most prudent decision despite the interest coming from Tottenham. The Lilywhites are struggling and are on the brink of losing Christian Eriksen in January, which, in turn, could open up an opportunity for him to play a prominent role in the first-team.
But, at the same time, the 21-year-old could potentially struggle to get to grips with the high-paced nature of English football, especially having played so little of late. Besides, his style of play is more suited to the more technical nature of Spanish football.
Players like Marco Asensio, Martin Odegaard, have redeemed themselves by impressing in La Liga in recent years. And Alena might be better suited to follow in their footstep and join a Spanish club on loan till the rest of the season. It will be interesting to see how this transfer saga pans out as we edge closer towards the start of the winter transfer window.
