Reports are emerging that suggest Alex Valle, on loan at Celtic from Barcelona, could see his time with the Bhoys cut short due to an injury crisis at his parent club. An agreement was in place for Valle to stay in Glasgow for the season, but a break clause could be triggered in the coming weeks.
Valle, 20, is a left-back with a lot of potential, and there’s a belief at Barcelona that he will go on to establish himself in their first team in the not-too-distant future. The youngster, who has come through Barcelona’s renowned La Masia youth system, was sent to Celtic to gain further first-team experience after previously spending time with Levante.
Brendan Rodgers is a manager adept at developing young talent, and he didn’t throw Valle straight into the mix. Of the seven squads he’s been available for in the Scottish Premiership, the Spaniard has made three starts and has been subbed on once. He’s completed the full 90 minutes twice so far in the league this season. So it’s fair to say Rodgers was steadily bringing the Barca loanee along, with a big second half of the campaign expected.
With Barcelona closely monitoring how Valle is getting on in Glasgow, they may now be ready to recall him because manager Hansi Flick has an injury crisis in defence. The German call on twenty-one-year-old Alejandro Balde at present as his only first-team left back, with Gerard Martin out of favour. Barcelona are also missing defenders Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, and Eric Garcia.
The reality is that the most convenient and cost-friendly solution for Barcelona is to recall Valle in January, terminating his season-long loan deal at the halfway point. Scottish Premiership betting online would suggest Celtic will win the title regardless of whether Valle stays or goes. Still, his departure will be a blow, as he’s providing good competition for the left-back position.
He may have only played a total of 574 minutes in all competitions up to now, but Valle has registered three assists. Greg Taylor will continue as Celtic’s first choice left back, and if Valle was to depart in the winter window, the club could either look to replace the Spaniard, or they could put their faith in Adam Montgomery, a left sider already in the building who is eager to get chance.
It will be a waiting game now to see if Barcelona recall Valle. If they do terminate the deal, because they’d be breaking the agreement early, they would be required to compensate Celtic for that. But you’d imagine that Celtic would prefer the player to stay rather than recoup funds.
Flick may also feel that he can put his trust in the players at his disposal to get through until the end of the season when they can reassess. Barca are currently flying at the top of La Liga and look rejuvenated under the former Germany and Bayern Munich boss.
Image Source: unsplash.com
