PEDRI’S 1BN RELEASE CLAUSE
BARCELONA teenager Pedri has agreed a long-term contract extension with the financial-stricken Catalan giants which includes a € 1bn release clause.
The 18-year-old Spain international, who was named in the Euro 2020 team of the tournament, has agreed a deal that will keep him at the Nou Camp until 2026.
Pedri, who has been linked with Liverpool, joined Barcelona from Las Palmas in August 2020 and quickly established himself as a starter in midfield.
He played 53 times last season — the most appearances of anyone at the club.
His new deal is a rare piece of good news as Barcelona continue to struggle on and off the pitch.
They sit ninth in La Liga and have lost their opening two Champions League games, against Bayern Munich and Benfica.
Signings
Lionel Messi was forced to leave the club during the summer as they were unable to afford his new contract, while experienced players such as Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba agreed to salary reductions to allow Ronald Koeman’s side to register their new signings.
President Joan Laporta laid bare their financial issues back in August, saying: “Barcelona has a negative net worth of € 451m — it is a terrible inheritance.
“What has been happening is very worrying.
“The situation is dramatic, but we have good news.
“The strategic plan based on our credibility and experience, on the assets that Barca have, makes this situation temporary.
“I think that in a couple of years, the club’s economy will be healthy.”
NO DISRESPECT to Edoardo Reja and his talented young Albania squad but we’ll be singing for England next month.
Defeat for Albania at Wembley and a win for Poland in Andorra will end their hopes of making the 2022 World Cup play-offs.
And it will, for now, temper the growing excitement around a nation once ranked among European football’s minnows.
The last thing Irish football needs right now is for Reja to guide Albania to within two two-legged ties of Qatar.
Why? Because the sensational rise of a side packed with players based in Serie A, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece and Spain could hardly come at a worse time for the FAI.
This week in Cork, Ireland’s Under17s cruised to the top of their group in their European qualification firstround stage.
They scored nine goals in wins over Andorra (5-0), North Macedonia
(2-0) and a draw on Wednesday with Poland (2-2).
Five of those goals were scored by players with Albanian heritage and with strong family ties to the eastern European country.
Dad
Kevin Zefi, who recently moved from Shamrock Rovers to Inter Milan, scored one; Rocco Vata, whose dad Rudi played for Celtic and Albania, bagged two; as did current Rovers midfielder Justin Ferizaj.
Zefi, born to Albanian parents, and Ferizaj are both natives of Blanchardstown in west Dublin, while Vata was born in Scotland and is also eligible for Montenegro.
He qualifies for Ireland through his grandparents on his mother’s side.
Albania’s football authorities are keenly aware of all three — and won’t be shy in encouraging them to switch allegiances over the coming years.
So, we could do without Albania
— O[who first tasted tournament football at Euro 2016 — experiencing their very own version of Italia
‘90 at this moment in time.
So, eh, go on Declan Rice, Gareth Southgate and England.
RegardlessoftheAlbanianFA’s intentions, all three players look very comfortable in green. More than comfortable, in fact.
While discussing the quality and potential of players in their midteens should carry a health warning, as there are countless pitfalls between here and the senior game, this is a very exciting side.
Zefi and Vata have the kind of technique and speed of foot rarely seen on these shores.
At times in Wednesday’s game against Poland, their first touch left their respective markers on their backsides.
Equaliser
They routinely beat two or three players before off-loading or striking at goal.
Ferizaj struck the equaliser from a free-kick, as the Boys in Green recovered from an early two-goal setback to secure the point they needed to take first place in the group.
Sealing top spot has smoothed out the path to next summer’s finals, as Colin O’Brien’s side will most likely be top seeds in the elite qualification phase.
But as O’Brien pointed out to Starsport in Turner’s Cross after Wednesday’s game, this side is more than just about the Irish-Albanian trio.
“They have got a great supporting act around them, because they are very good in positioning the players behind them and feeding them with the right ball,” he said.
Cork City striker Mark O’Mahony was Ireland’s top scorer with three goals in the three games, including a cheeky back-heel against North Macedonia. His goal against Poland, which sparked Wednesday’s comeback, was down to his determination to rob the goalkeeper of possession and then his ability to finish on the turn.
Cathal Heffernan, another Cork City prospect, skippered the team from the centre-back position.
Sam Curtis, who made his firstteam debut for St Patrick’s Athletic at the age of 15 this season, also found the net for O’Brien’s side.
“Firstly it was great to top the group,” said O’Brien.
“[Wednesday] was a bigger test alright, coming from two-down to get to two-all. We secured qualification after the second game, but to top the group is great.
Exciting
“There is potential in the group, we spoke about that coming into it, about some of the exciting players we have in the attacking areas of the pitch. I think people can see that with their own eyes this week, with some of the goals we scored and some of the play we had.
“They were a pleasure to work with, but they were challenged in different ways this week, so that was good too for their development.”
One of the challenges this side faced ahead of the qualifiers was the fact that Covid-19 had robbed them of international football for more than 18 months.
“They wouldn’t have had any international football since January 2020, so there was a big gap. They basically missed the Under-16 season,” continued O’Brien.
“You were only getting back in June, so we really tried to get that planning part of it right, and we felt we got our squad right for this tournament, so that was a big challenge for us.
“So to top the group from that side of it was really good.”
Back to the Albanian connection — and forwards Zefi and Vata in particular — and O’Brien added: “They are two very good players.
“They have great balance firstly off both sides and they are comfortable on the ball, they are attack-minded players, they are players who will get you off your seat.
“They both still have plenty to learn, like all the players in the group. But they showed some really good individual play this week and they also put a shift in for the team when it was needed.” Now, repeat after me: We’re singing for England; Eng-erland!