Ajax poach 16-year-old Barcelona midfield prospect from La Masia | OneFootball

FC Barcelona boast one of the finest football academies in the world. In recent seasons, the Catalan club has reaped significant rewards from the steady stream of talent emerging from La Masia.

Players such as Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, and Fermin Lopez have all risen through the ranks and earned recognition on the senior stage.

However, the reality of managing such a rich talent pool is that not every young prospect will be given the opportunity to break into the first team in the immediate future.

Ajax land Barcelona midfield prospect Eloi Gomez

Photo Courtesy: The official website of Ajax

Thus, exits are bound to happen. Now, as per Mundo Deportivo, Dutch giants Ajax have officially confirmed that they have poached 16-year-old Barcelona academy talent Eloi Gomez.

Ajax and Barcelona share a long-standing relationship, with both clubs placing strong emphasis on youth development and possession-based football. The footballing philosophies of the two academies are also closely aligned.

The Eredivisie giants are now hoping that Eloi becomes the “future gem to their academy”. They see him as a midfielder with all the attributes to make him a great success at the Dutch club.

Originally from Gironella, Eloi trained in La Masia and played for the club’s youth team last season. Now, he will be joining Ajax’s U-17 team to continue his development.

If there is one place youngsters would want to be and train, apart from La Masia, it has to be De Toekomst. Thus, it is no surprise that Ajax have managed to poach the youngster, and we will have to wait and see how his development pans out.