20-year-old winger will compete with Traore for a starting spot in Barça’s XI

The arrival of Adama Traore at Camp Nou has complicated matters for Barcelona. With the Europa League knockouts looming, the Catalan club is set to fulfill the stated quota of ‘three new players during the winter window’, meaning that a certain Abde Ezzalzouli, often known as Ez Abde, is set to rival the Wolves loanee in La Liga this season.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona’s plan with the former Hercules youngster is to rotate him between the senior team as well as the B team.

As relayed by the outlet, Abde will play for Barcelona B in big matches like the Clasicos while his inclusion in the senior team will give the side the advantage of having an extra winger on the bench.

The 20-year-old winger is said to be in the good books of Xavi, having already played 12 games this season; 10 of which came in the La Liga. He was, in fact, also used in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final against Real Madrid.

Since Xavi’s arrival, the 20-year-old has started as many as six games and has so far clocked 1023 minutes under his belt.

But with Traore arriving, the versatile winger can very well expect a drop in playing minutes, especially in the La Liga as the club has still not finalized its squad for the continental championship.

As things stand, with Dani Alves, Ferran Torres, and Adama Traore fulfilling the quota, there is no place for either Abde or Ferran Jutgla in the team. The two players are currently off the list for European competitions in the second half of the season.

One thing to note in that regard is the fact that neither Abde nor Jutgla count as B-team players as they have not spent two years at the club. The duo arrived from Espanyol and Hercules respectively last summer.

Meanwhile, Barcelona failing to register Abde for the Europa League might as well work as a blessing in disguise as he can focus on getting more minutes while enjoying a healthy rivalry with Traore in the league instead. 

Stats via Transfermarkt