With the eyes of the world watching on, there is no greater shop window than the World Cup. Over the course of a maximum of seven games, players can catapult their entire career to the next level through a successful run.
That will likely be the case for Moroccan midfielder Azzedine Ounahi. The 22-year-old has not only been a tireless presence in the Morocco midfield in Qatar, but has also exhibited excellent technical ability and intelligence in high-pressure situations.
Playing for Angers in Ligue 1, his President Said Chabane admitted that Ounahi might be on the move in either January or the summer.
“We are preparing for everything, we had a meeting this afternoon with the coach and the sports coordinator to try to consider all the possible scenarios and not end up in the mud if it happens.”
“You know well you cannot stop a player if they want to leave.”
Those quotes were carried by MD and they also say that Barcelona are interested in Ouznahi. Highlighted by Luis Enrique Martinez following Spain’s elimination at Morocco’s hands as a standout player, the Blaugrana have been impressed with him too, and see him as a potential cut-price signing.
Whether Barcelona should trust the World Cup as the proper measure of Ouznahi is the tough decision. He might arrive at a club for cheaper than an established star, but Ouznahi would then be placed into an entirely different context. Currently for Morocco he has excelled in a system based on defending deep and counter-attacking, which is the opposite to what he would be asked to do at Barcelona.
Image via Cathrin Mueller – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
