Barcelona have completed the signing of German forward Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund, and honestly, it's the kind of transfer that makes you sit up and pay attention. Adeyemi is a player who has always had that electric quality about him — the sort of lad who can make something happen out of absolutely nothing when he gets into his stride.
At Dortmund, he was something of a fan favourite, and you can see why. He's quick, direct, and he carries the ball with real purpose. He's not always been the most consistent performer, and that is a fair criticism to level at him, but he is still relatively young and switching to a club like Barcelona could be exactly the environment he needs to iron out those rough edges.
For Barcelona, this is an interesting piece of business. They have been rebuilding their squad with a real eye on pace and directness in recent seasons, and Adeyemi fits that profile nicely. He gives Hansi Flick — another German, which probably doesn't hurt when it comes to settling in — a genuine wide threat who can stretch defences and create space for the likes of Lewandowski or whoever leads the line. La Liga defenders are going to find him a handful on his day, that much seems certain.
From Dortmund's perspective, losing Adeyemi will sting. They have already seen some of their best players leave for bigger clubs over the years, and this continues that trend. It's the reality of being a selling club at that level, even if it's not a particularly comfortable reality to accept.
Whether this transfer turns out to be a brilliant piece of recruitment or a frustrating almost-worked story will depend entirely on Adeyemi himself. The talent is clearly there. Barcelona have the platform. Now it's down to him to deliver consistently, which is the bit that has occasionally let him down before. As a United fan I'd love to say we should have been in for him, but I'll admit that ship has probably sailed.
Let me know your thoughts.