Severed old connections can come to haunt any club, and Barcelona are no exception. At times, whether it be players or even coaches, there is always a chance that they will encounter their former partners.
Mostly always a bittersweet event, it is always a unique treat to watch unfold. Ramon Planes is a man of particular note for FC Barcelona. Having previously helped the club sign many talented youngsters, he also recently managed to snatch one away.
Ez Abde, aged 21, is among one of the best raw talents in La Liga. Previously at Barcelona, he moved to Real Betis in the summer. While Barça maintain 50% of future sales and also have a buy-back option, Abde is now the property of the Andalusian side.
However, as SPORT highlights, things could have gone differently. In fact, during August of this year, Xavi was among those that believed Abde’s future was away from the club. Hence, Mateu Alemany had some rather important calls to make.
In terms of a permanent transfer that allowed Barcelona to get a decent transfer fee, the names were mainly from outside Spain. Clubs like Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa were both intrigued about the prospect of potentially signing Abde.
Moreover, Mateu Alemany even considered the possibility of sending Abde over to Atletico Madrid. This particular option would have been an inclusion in the ‘Joao Felix operation’. Ultimately, Felix ended up arriving on his own as a loan player while Abde only wanted Real Betis.
For the Moroccan, Ramon Planes was the man who first believed in him enough to lure him to Barcelona. Now, potentially due to knowing he would entrust him once more, he was drawn to Real Betis unlike any other club.
One of the most capable dribblers in La Liga already at a young age, Abde surely has a great potential to live up to. It still remains to be seen if the Catalan giants choose to trigger their buy-back option at any point, however.
