Only a few months ago Ishak Belfodil was regarded as one of the most exciting talents in Serie A. Not only was he just a hot prospect, but he was delivering high-calibre, even match-winning performances regularly.
The Algerian forced Brazilian veteran Amauri out of the starting eleven, and made himself undroppable with his excellent performances as a lone striker. His mobility and strength saw him able to hold the ball up, take players on and link play excellently in attack, as well as chipping in with seven goals.
He was so impressive that Juventus made a deadline day swoop for the striker, reportedly in an exchange for Fabio Quagliarella. In the end, Parma’s asking price of €13m plus Quagliarella was prohibitively expensive, though the mere fact that the interest was there is indicative of the esteem in which he was held.
Unfortunately, coinciding – maybe not coincidentally – with the end of the transfer window, his performances nosedived, and he hasn’t done a great deal to further his cause. After already incurring the wrath of coach Roberto Donadoni and the club’s hierarchy after performing a ‘silence’ gesture towards the bench after scoring against Lazio, unhappy that he wasn’t the club’s nominal penalty taker, he followed it up with an altercation with Donadoni in training. A lack of commitment was reportedly the coach’s gripe.
Belfodil has been causing controversy internationally, as well as domestically. Initially opting to play for France before changing to his country of birth, he’s yet to receive a cap for Algeria, and has come under fire from coach Vahid Halilhodzic, who said that he wants “players who respect the shirt.”
It is telling that Belfodil has only started one game in the last couple of months, and has only scored twice this calendar year – both goals coming in January. He has gone from indispensible to expendable; a victim of his own ego.
There is now the feeling that he – for his unquestionable ability – might not be worth the hassle. If Juventus – or anyone else, for that matter – are willing to spend a bomb to land Belfodil in the summer and a suitable replacement can be brought in, selling him now for as big a price as possible may be the sensible option. That is if there is still interest in him.
On his strike partner, Amauri has recently commented that “Belfodil has shown many qualities but can still grow. He is young and needs to understand certain things.” Those ‘things’ of which Amauri rather vaguely and euphemistically speaks are not exactly hard to guess.
There is, of course, still time for him to turn things around. Whispers suggest that Belfodil may return to start his first game since a 2-1 defeat against Catania in February against Udinese this weekend. For all of the criticism he may come under, he is a player who can change a game with a moment of brilliance. He is a player who has the potential to play on the world stage, though he’s also one with a lot to learn.
