2 months ago
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Expert insight from Denmark
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In the 2023/24 season, FC Copenhagen's Roony Bardghji became one of the youngest goalscorers in Champions League history, as he scored against English giants Manchester United aged just 17 years, 11 months, and 24 days old. Due to his name and the fact he was making an impact in the Champions League as a teenager, comparisons to Wayne Rooney didn't take long to formulate. Almost two years on, and it now looks likely the 19-year-old will leave the Danish side and join LaLiga heavyweights Barcelona this summer.
According to transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano, Barca are closing in on a deal to sign Bardghji from Copenhagen, with an agreement at the final stages and the last details expected to be sorted in the upcoming days. The young Swede boasts a current market value of €7.5 million and has already made 84 appearances for the FC Copenhagen first-team, scoring 15 goals. Barcelona look to have beaten many other top club's to Bardghji's signature, and could be set to land the Swede for a bargain fee of just €2m due to his contract expiring at the end of the calendar year. However, add-ons and a sell-on clause is set to be included in the deal. So how good is Bardghji and what could he bring to the Camp Nou?
What can Roony Bardghji bring to Barcelona?
"He is a dynamic inside forward, who loves to cut inside from the right-wing," explains Transfermarkt's Data Scout in Denmark Ziyu Ji. Bardghji may have some trouble getting too many opportunities to come in off the right-wing for Barca, with the world's most valuable player Lamine Yamal occupying that spot, but according to Ji, the Swede is a versatile talent: "He is known for his dribbling and his ability to exploit tight spaces. His strengths include his technical ability, his ability to take on his opponents one-on-one, and his off-the-ball movements. He also has a strong weak foot, and I remember in a friendly against Brøndby (in the Atlantic Cup), he volleyed a cross with his 'weaker' right foot and scored brilliantly."
It's unlikely that Bardghji will find himself as a starter straight away in Hansi Flick's team, and will be viewed as a player for the future perhaps more than the present. Despite his talents, Ji reveals some of the 19-year-old's current limitations: "His weaknesses are his aerial duels, and he needs to work on his consistency. Sometimes he can have periods where he's invisible in the game." However, Barcelona fans will get very excited when they hear which player Ji drew comparisons with when discussing Bardghji's style of play, "If I had to pick two players he reminds me of it would be Lionel Messi and Dejan Kulusevski. Messi because Roony's dribbling style is very similar - I also have seen some journalists calling him the "Swedish Messi". Kulusevski due to their shared preference to cut inside and their ability to create goal scoring opportunities."
"I think despite some setbacks he is going to be a regular starter for a top club in Europe one day," Ji continued. Nevertheless, this was his response when asked whether Bardghji is ready to be a regular for Barcelona straight away: "The short answer is no. He has just returned from a serious knee injury from May 2024, and is also currently out with another injury, although expected to return soon. He needs regular game time in a smaller league to adapt to playing at this high a level, and according to some reports, he is going to be shifting between the B team and the main team at Barca. I think that is not good for his career. Barcelona Atlètic have just been relegated to the Spanish 4th tier, so it would not be a good level for him to play at."
