JJ Gabriel of Manchester United
JJ Gabriel of Manchester United
One of the biggest transfer stories in recent months was the saga involving JJ Gabriel, Manchester United’s wonderkid.
A couple of months ago, it emerged that the English teenager was shopping for a new club, and several European giants, including Barcelona, positioned themselves in the race.
However, it has now emerged that Real Madrid have beaten everyone else to the signing of the teenager.
Journalist Ben Fernandes Santos has now offered some insight into how much Barcelona wanted to sign Gabriel.
The Catalan club considered him one of the biggest talents they had identified in the last decade. Deco is also said to have held several meetings with the player’s camp.
Santos claims that the Portuguese director was determined to land the 16-year-old, viewing his potential as exceptional.
Barcelona tried to convince him that the best next step in his career would be to wear the Blaugrana colours.
JJ Gabriel of Manchester United
JJ Gabriel is set to join Real Madrid. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
However, the youngster is said to have had a clear preference throughout the process: his dream was to play for Real Madrid.
The Englishman is said to have been very keen on fulfilling that dream, leaving Barcelona fighting a losing battle in trying to convince him.
Santos’ claims directly contradict those of Deco, who revealed back in September that the Catalan club were not involved in the race.
JJ Gabriel is widely regarded as the single biggest English talent of his generation, and signing him would have been a coup for Barcelona.
The Catalan club already have an outstanding young core, and the 16-year-old would have been an excellent addition for the future.
However, Barça cannot do much to change a player’s preference. Every footballer has a club he dreams of playing for, and Gabriel dreamt of Real Madrid.
Deco doing his best to sign the teenager shows how much the club wanted him, but Barcelona have a lot of their own talents to look after.
Ebrima Tunkara
Barcelona should focus on talents like Ebrima Tunkara. (Picture credit: Instagram/@ebrimatunkara10)
Instead of being disappointed that they missed out on the Englishman, the club should focus on the players they have in La Masia.
Someone like Ebrima Tunkara, who is the same age as Gabriel, is considered one of the biggest talents in the academy.
The 16-year-old completed pre-season with Hansi Flick and has even made matchday squads, coming very close to a first-team debut.
Barcelona are fortunate to have an academy that repeatedly produces such talent, and Tunkara will certainly not be the last on the list.
The club’s future depends less on winning every transfer battle and more on identifying the next promising talent, and it remains to be seen how Deco goes about it.