I remember posting long ago that Rafa with Babel had really broken from his normal pattern of buying players who represented little financial risk. For a number of years, the majority of Rafa's purchases, at least in number, were players, for instance Bellamy, for the skwad, who hold resale value, or cheap or freebies (josemi) with little downside (besides their being inevitably quite shit). Because the skwad was so thin, Rafa was able to cycle through shit until he got it right. Arbeloa for instance, was our third or fourth crack at a right back, but we didn't lose much on any of the others. Morientes for instance was another safe bet to recoup money should he fail, as he did. Large purchases he made were for the first team, and he enjoyed consistent success there, right up until Keane.
Players for the future were generally quite young, and while there has been a significant outlay, with not much to show for it, it isn't the sort of thing the press or owners for that matter can point accusingly at.
Babel was Rafa's first real starlet purchase, and Rafa's first real "what have you done" moment. He is one of only two purchases he has made that can be compared to the likes of Diouf/Diao for their mix of the blatantly shit and the financially embarassing. (Keane doesn't deserve the comparison, but the time frame was an incredible admission of failure)
Babel, if he had been as advertised, would be EXACTLY what we need right now, and instead he's useless.
For me it's beyond safe to say at this point that Babel's supposed potential isn't going to be realized. What exactly was the project anyway? Was he being groomed on the wing for game intelligence and technical ability for an eventual crack as a striker? He seems to have lost his direct confidence due to being put on the wing, and gained nothing in the process.
I don't think he's particularly good at either, but what I can say with absolute confidence is that he'll never be even a competent left winger. The fact that his left leg is mostly for standing certainly doesn't help this out. He should be starting off the bench, as a striker, and not much else. He's got pace and a rocket of a shot. As a late game addition, a goal or two would do him a world of good. If he shows even a glimmer of hope, he should be sold, at a significant loss.
Players for the future were generally quite young, and while there has been a significant outlay, with not much to show for it, it isn't the sort of thing the press or owners for that matter can point accusingly at.
Babel was Rafa's first real starlet purchase, and Rafa's first real "what have you done" moment. He is one of only two purchases he has made that can be compared to the likes of Diouf/Diao for their mix of the blatantly shit and the financially embarassing. (Keane doesn't deserve the comparison, but the time frame was an incredible admission of failure)
Babel, if he had been as advertised, would be EXACTLY what we need right now, and instead he's useless.
For me it's beyond safe to say at this point that Babel's supposed potential isn't going to be realized. What exactly was the project anyway? Was he being groomed on the wing for game intelligence and technical ability for an eventual crack as a striker? He seems to have lost his direct confidence due to being put on the wing, and gained nothing in the process.
I don't think he's particularly good at either, but what I can say with absolute confidence is that he'll never be even a competent left winger. The fact that his left leg is mostly for standing certainly doesn't help this out. He should be starting off the bench, as a striker, and not much else. He's got pace and a rocket of a shot. As a late game addition, a goal or two would do him a world of good. If he shows even a glimmer of hope, he should be sold, at a significant loss.
