As reported by Spanish news media – El Partidazo de COPE previous week, there has been recent speculation surrounding a possible transfer move for Marco Asensio to none other than his very rival club – FC Barcelona.
Now, since the recasting of Joan Laporta, Barcelona are going about their transfers like blockchain payments – fast, secure, and at a low-cost without intermediaries involved. Asensio could very much fit that book, with a potential free deal in place that’d be complemented by a not-soo-crazy wage regime.
But why does the player who has played in the white since he was 19 for 6 consecutive seasons (in his 7th currently), is thinking about this drastic measure?
An injury that changed everything
Asensio was a real prodigy back in the day. Picking up a huge fandom is his early days’ thanks to his insane ability of finding the back of the net from a huge distance.
Played a super-sub for a major part of his career, Asensio’s dazzling and memorable goals against premier clubs like Barcelona and Liverpool. But it all come down when he was suffered a major knee injury following a clash with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the match against Arsenal for the International Champions Cup back in 2019.
The injury kept Asensio off the pitch for almost nine months and when he came back things just weren’t the same. Although he still had the rocket in his boot, it seemed he had lost a major portion of his composure and technicality on and off the ball.
Acting as a substitute to Gareth Bale who was rarely seen on the pitch, it was a good opportunity for Asensio to make a proper comeback with the fans already waiting eagerly. But Zinedine Zidane had other plans, especially with a new versatile youngster rising through the ranks – Fede Valverde.
Thanks to Valverde’s mentality and insane work rate both offensively and defensively, Asensio couldn’t compete with Fede, especially with teams in the European Leagues who play a more energy-intensive and disciplined game compared to the technical and free-flowing La Liga clubs.
Situation Under Carlo Ancelotti
The situation turned but however, but it did so for the worse. With additions to the squad like Rodrygo and Hazard, it became even more difficult for Asensio to cling on to his playing minutes. And before he knew Rodrygo and Valverde had already started to become more important in the eyes of Ancelotti.
Even though Asensio still contributed every now and then, fans and analysts were disappointed by his lack of creativity and involvement in pressing when tracking back during the opposition’s offensive transitions, which led to a lot of pressure on the right back and thus goals coming from that flank.
The authorities also tried to find another club for him in the summer according to numerous reports from trustable news media, but no club was interested. With Asensio suffering from a lack of game time, things escalated further when he wasn’t played against Mallorca.
The frustration on his end was visible as he threw a bottle near the bench when he was sent back to the bench after warming up around the ending moments of the game.
But not ruling out a move to Barcelona might do him no good, but worse from the Madridistas who often tend to be over-reactive regarding these things. But keeping things real, he either has to step up his game or in the hunt of game-time, the rumour may become a reality.
