In a recent report, The Daily Mirror stated that Barcelona are eyeing a move for AZ Alkmaar left-back Owen Wijndal this summer. It is understood that the Catalans want to recruit the Netherlands international as they believe that he would offer some serious competition for Jordi Alba at the Nou Camp (via The Daily Mirror).
Wijndal’s Impressive Form At AFAS Stadion
The 21-year-old caught the eye with his performances in Dutch football last season when he proved himself to be a valuable member of AZ Alkmaar’s first team. Wijndal found the back of the net twice and earned six assists in 43 matches for the Dutch outfit in the previous campaign across all competitions.
The Zaandam-born full-back managed to influence the game in both halves by averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.7 interceptions, 1.6 clearances, 0.9 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game in the Dutch Eredivisie. He was even excellent when distributing possession from the left-wing after making 86.4% of his attempted passes in the top tier of Dutch football (stats via whoscored).
At 21, Wijndal’s ceiling is sky-high, so Barca will do well to lure him to the Nou Camp during this summer transfer period. He is already good enough to rival Jordi Alba for a place in Ronald Koeman’s starting XI.
Should The Catalans Snap Wijndal Up This Summer?
Wijndal boasts blistering pace and can complete some promising dribbles with the ball down the left flank. He is slowly but surely transforming himself into a reliable presence at the back as he has got good defensive awareness and can time his tackles well to secure the ball back for his team.
The Dutch sensation can also engineer some inviting opportunities for his teammates to score but needs to work on improving his shooting if he wants to add more goals to his game in the future. A young left-back of Wijndal’s potential will be a welcome addition to the Catalans squad before the start of the new campaign.
The AZ Alkmaar whizkid will add some much-needed quality to Koeman’s defence. The Barca boss might fancy getting the best out of his fellow countryman next season if he can get a deal over the line for him this summer. With all things considered, Barcelona should consider snapping Wijndal up as soon as possible if they have the funds to pull off such a transfer as he is a star in the making and could go on to become one of the best players in his position someday.
