Celtic made some interesting calls during the January transfer window.
One of them was allowing Alex Valle to leave Celtic and join FC Como in Italy, after the left-back joined the club in the summer on a season-long loan deal from Barcelona.
The 20-year-old came to Scotland and Glasgow to provide cover and competition for the marmite-like figure Greg Taylor.
Even though Taylor remained Celtic’s starting left-back, and that did divide opinion amongst the fanbase, Valle still earned his fair share of minutes and looked impressive.
But then, talk of Kieran Tierney returning to Celtic started heating up, and when the powers that be cut short Valle’s loan spell, many felt that the inevitable was going to happen and the Arsenal man would re–join in January.
That didn’t happen to many people’s surprise, as you have to question why the club let Valle go, but how has he fared in Italy since linking up with the legendary Cesc Fabregas?
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Alex Valle’s performances for Cesc Fabregas’ FC Como
FC Como are a newly-promoted side in Italy’s top tier, but they are being backed financially by some big names, including Thierry Henry.
When Valle moved to Como, the club was in the relegtion zone, but they are now sitting 13th in Serie A and he has been a constant starter, including during an impressive 2-1 win over Antonio Conte’s Napoli in February.
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Valle has also been unfortunate on occasions because Como were beaten 2-1 by AC Milan, Juventus and AS Roma since he joined – all of the winning goals were scored after the 75th minute, or in Juve’s case, a stoppage-time Randal Kolo Muani penalty.
Valle’s starts for Celtic Valle’s substitute appearances for Celtic Valle’s starts for FC Como Valle’s substitute appearances for FC Como
10 8 7 –
That has also opened the door for the Barcelona man to earn his first set of caps for Spain’s U21s, including against Czechia and Germany during this past international break.
Also, WhoScored have rated his performances at 6.68, in comparison to just over seven during his time at Celtic Park.
Tournament Apps Mins Assists Avg Passes KeyP Clearances AerialsWon Rating
Premiership Celtic 7(4) 651 3 58.6 1.5 1.2 1.5 7.08
Serie A 7 592 – 37.7 0.3 3 0.6 6.68
Jeffrey Schlupp’s performances at Celtic since replacing Valle
With hours left before the January transfer deadline was going to slam shut, Celtic were going to head towards the second half of the season with only one left-back.
But then, Celtic brought in Jeffrey Schlupp from Crystal Palace on a deal until the end of the season, and he has now become the starting left-back.
Both in the Champions League and in the Premiership, he has looked rather strong, with WhoScored rating his performances over seven and now there are calls for him to sign for good.
Tournament Apps Mins Goals Assists Tackles Clear AerialsWon MotM Rating
Premiership 4(2) 395 1 1 1.2 3.3 2.3 1 7.21
Champions League 1(1) 115 – – 3.5 5.5 0.5 – 7.09