The departure of Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, popularly known as Ez Abde to Real Betis from Barcelona has been shocking to many but these are some interesting factors associated with the deal.
Ez Abde joined Real Betis on September 1, 2023, for a fee of €7.5 million, signing a five-year deal with the Seville-based club.
Reports indicate that Spanish director Ramon Planes was the key orchestrator for this deal.
The 55-year-old was made the sporting director of Los Verdiblancos on May 1, 2023, and he has a contract that runs until June 30, 2026.
Planes has previously worked at Barcelona, as director of professional football and sporting director.
Ez Abde is now a player of Real Betis
Real Betis signed a youngster, who is on the radar of several big clubs in Europe and it was a thrilling capture for them.
Abdessamad Ezzalzouli made 14 appearances for Barcelona, scoring 1 goal and providing no assist in all competitions.
Ez Abde made his debut for the Blaugrana side on October 30, 2021, coming on from the bench in a La Liga encounter against Deportivo Alaves.
Meanwhile, Barcelona will have a 50% sell-on clause in the deal, which could see them cash in more on the Moroccan in the coming future.
The 21-year-old could also make a return to the Catalan giants within the next two years without any hassle, as Barcelona also inserted a two-year buy-back clause in the deal.
This would allow the Blaugrana side to sign Abde for €20 million, within the next two years.
Betis 2023 summer signings
Real Betis made 8 signings in the 2023 summer transfer window, with the aim of achieving success in the 2023/24 season.
They signed Sergi Altimira, Héctor Bellerín, Ayoze Pérez, Marc Bartra, Álex Collado, Marc Roca, Chadi Riad, and Abde Ezzalzouli.
Real Betis have had a relatively good start to the 2023/24 season, with two wins, one draw, and one defeat.
They began the league season with a 2-1 win over Villareal at the Estadio de la Cerámica, before playing out a 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side afterward lost to Athletic Bilbao by 4-2, before bouncing back to record a slim 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano.
They currently sit 7th on the Premier League table with 7 points, level on points with 4th-place Atletico Madrid.
After the international break, there was the opportunity for a return to Camp Nou for Ez Abde, as Real Betis take on Barcelona on Saturday, September 16, 2023.
Abde will be hoping to have his name in the starting lineup for the encounter, and he will be looking to impress against his former club.
Meanwhile, the 21-year-old has also represented the Atlas Lions of Morocco, earning 7 caps so far, since he made his international debut on September 23, 2022, against Chile.
