Voluntary banishment
Posted on | October 11, 2009 | No Comments
The issue of top European clubs snapping up South American talent before it’s fully cooked is not a new one, but seems to have reached a new nadir this season with Barcelona striker Keirrison.
Snapped up in July from Palmeiras for 14 million euros, he was promptly farmed out to Benfica on loan by the Catalan club for a softer landing on the continent, hopefully to adapt quickly to the European game.
Instead he seems to have instantly settled into stagnation, playing only 136 minutes so far, all from the bench, and failing to find the net this season. This from a striker who until he departed Brazil mid-season was one of the top predators in South America, and arguably, the top predator in South America.
So in this current arrangement, no-one wins, except for Keirrison’s agent and owners, who no doubt have already pocketed a large slice. Palmeiras got a fair fee but lost their star player halfway through the out-of-sync Brazilian domestic season, Barcelona have a player who is gaining no experience at his current club, Keirrison has a stalling career and Benfica are apparently stuck with a player they feel they can’t use.
Of all clubs, you’d expect Barcelona would know when a player is ready to switch continents and when a borrowing club is likely to make practical use of him.
At the moment Keirrison’s European adventure is a form of voluntary banishment; he’s floating in a kind of football wilderness,supposedly too good to play in Brazil, but not good enough to cut it in the largely poor Liga Sagres.
As such the whole affair smells of a kind of sweaty panic; on the part of Barcelona, who probably rushed into buying him because of the threat the likes of Real Madrid or Liverpool would step in if they didn’t, and on the part of Keirrision and his agents; too eager for the ‘big move’ to realise it might just be a tad too soon.
It already looks like another transfer destined for the South American career morgue, where ultimately the likes of Ariel Ortega, Javier Saviola, Adriano and Marcelo Gallardo ended up, but I hope not.
Chris Breese
Tags: barcelona > Benfica > Brazilian football > keirrison > Liga Sagres > palmeiras > Spanish Football
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