"Star of the evening!" Karim Adeyemi showered with praise after goalscoring debut for Barcelona | Goal.com
After his move from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona, Adeyemi scored his first goal for the Catalans against the Swiss and earned glowing praise from the Spanish press.
The 24-year-old had "made a statement" and "particularly shone" in the friendly win, wrote Marca, which also went on to call the German the "protagonist of the game". As well as scoring the opener, Adeyemi also set up Hamza Abdelkarim for the 2-1. Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal then made it more emphatic in the closing minutes.
Even so, Adeyemi had produced "a very complete game" and made "a statement" in the direction of coach Hansi Flick: "He wants to secure a place in the starting XI. In an attack in which there will be extremely fierce competition, the German is slowly gaining an advantage. He played well on the right and on the left and was decisive."
Sport also labelled Adeyemi the "star of the evening" after what it called "his best game of pre-season": "His pace is impressive. At this level, he could be a great new signing."
Adeyemi joined Barca from Borussia Dortmund in mid-July for a comparatively low €22 million after four years. In 2022, the Black and Yellows had paid around €30 million for the winger. However, the fee could still rise to €29 million through bonuses, meaning Borussia Dortmund's loss-making deal could yet be kept to a minimum.
On top of that, Dortmund secured a 35 per cent sell-on clause for Adeyemi. So if the 24-year-old leaves Barca one day for a high transfer fee, Borussia Dortmund will once again benefit enormously.
Under coach Niko Kovac, Adeyemi lost his regular place last season and, particularly in the second half of the campaign, often found himself in the role of a luxury joker. Overall, he was never able to consistently fulfil the huge expectations that followed his move from RB Salzburg to the Ruhr.
Now he wants to make a successful fresh start under Flick at Barca, but he faces exceptional competition in a squad featuring stars such as Yamal, Raphinha and Anthony Gordon.
Following his debut at the beginning of August, Flick struck an extremely critical tone about Adeyemi. "He has much more potential than he showed. In training I have already seen a better Karim," said the Catalans' head coach after his side's 2-2 draw against Birmingham City, in which Adeyemi was on the pitch for the first 45 minutes.
Flick explained that "Many things" from Adeyemi in the game were "not so good". "But he is only in his first week of training, so that is normal. His pace and his finishing quality are good, he has a lot of potential. And I also think that he can give us a lot."
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