Mikayil Faye is making waves with Barcelona Atletic right now, scoring goals for Rafa Marquez’s side and reportedly attracting interest from some of Europe’s top clubs.
Xavi is said to be set to hand the defender his first-team debut before the end of the campaign and Barca are likely to be considering promoting him for next season.
Obviously Faye could earn Barca some much-needed cash this summer if admirers do come calling, but there’s also an awful lot he can offer the team.
The most obvious quality is that he’s a very good defender. He is also a player who can play at center-back and left-back. With Barca a little short of options on the left flank that can only be a good thing.
Faye’s former coach, Ugo Klingor, told Mundo Deportivo recently that he actually sees the defender as a future left-back rather than center-back.
“I truly believe that Mika can make a bigger impact on the team as a left back rather than a center back. His offensive prowess in the final third of the field is immense,” he said.
“He can exploit spaces behind the lines, make penetrating runs with or without the ball. His shooting skills are top-notch (with both feet) and his crosses are precise and timely. I played him as a winger, and I was extremely pleased with his progress.”
With Marcos Alonso set to leave in the summer and doubts over Joao Cancelo’s future, a defender who can play at left-back and in the middle is a huge positive for Barca.
Yet it’s not just his defending that makes Faye stand out. He’s good going forward, can score goals and is certainly not afraid to take free-kicks.
Barcelona have really struggled for set-piece goals since Leo Messi left. Yet Faye showed at the weekend that he’s not afraid to try his luck with free-kicks and knows what it takes to find the back of the net.
Faye is also known for his explosiveness and speed and has already been tipped to have a bright future for the club by both Xavi and Jules Kounde.
Obviously he still has to prove he can make it in the first team but let’s not forget also that he’s still only 19 and far from the finished product.
With finances an issue once again at Barcelona this summer, keeping hold of Faye may prove to be a smart piece of business as he certainly has the potential to solve a few problems for the Catalans.
Yet even if Barcelona do sell they are likely to make a huge profit on a player who is thought to have cost just 1.5 million euros when he signed in the summer on a four-year deal from Croatian side NK Kustosija Zagreb.
