In a summer dominated by remarkable transfer stories, yesterday saw the conclusion of a deal which eclipses the lot for pure intrigue. Although it may not feature the money or glamour of Madrid’s spending spree, Eto’o plus £40 million in exchange for Ibrahimović has raised more than just a few eyebrows.
There is no doubt that Zlatan Ibrahimović is an exceptionally gifted footballer. Just enter his name into You Tube and you will be presented with a compendium of audacious goals and party pieces reminiscent of Matt Le Tissier in his heyday.
Like the Southampton legend, Ibrahimović’s career has been dogged with regular criticisms of inconsistency. However, last season’s 26 goal haul was the apex of three years of continuous improvement at Inter. Not bad for a player previously tagged as surly and disinterested.
But whilst the 27 year old Swede is beginning to fulfil his promise, Samuel Eto’o (just one year his senior) has been terrorising defences across Europe for the last five years. His reputation precedes him as one of the most deadly strikers in the world.
So why on earth have Barcelona decided to swap Eto’o and £40 million for Ibrahimović? The reason the transfer fee went the direction of Inter is due to the solitary year remaining on Eto’o’s Barcelona contract, which substantially decreased his sell-on value. But in a marketplace where £25 million buys Carlos Tévez and £35 million Karim Benzema, the deal still doesn’t seem to add up. £40 million alone would be a vastly inflated figure for Ibrahimović, even before the value Eto’o adds to the deal.
With Real Madrid breaking unprecedented ground this summer, could we have witnessed a huge knee-jerk reaction from Pep Guardiola?
Composure personified as a player, his aura transferred seamlessly into the dugout for his all conquering debut season. But this deal must raise genuine questions about his acumen in the transfer market. Surely such a financial outlay would have been better spent prising David Villa from Valencia.
All this is not to say that Ibrahimović won’t score goals in a Barcelona shirt. But whether he can score them in the most important games is another question. Meanwhile, in Samuel Eto’o Inter inherit a player capable of delivering on Europe’s biggest occasions, including two Champions League finals. Along with the likes of Drogba and Torres, Eto’o sits in the top tier of world strikers who score when it matters. Ibrahimović currently sits in the tier below.
Barcelona are still the team to beat this in this year’s Champions League, but the gap between their challengers has decreased. One suspects José Mourinho and Samuel Eto’o are hoping to draw them in the latter stages to prove the point.
