Barnsley and Rotherham United should snub risky seven-figure deal immediately: Opinion | OneFootball

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Ali Al-Hamadi is being valued at over £1.2 million by AFC Wimbledon despite his brief experience in the EFL.

Wimbledon's 21-year-old forward is the subject of interest from Rotherham United and Barnsley. Darren Witcoop revealed that both clubs have him on their list of potential transfers to make before the end of the summer window. The Tykes have seemingly already had a bid for him rejected.

Reportedly it's going to take a bid in excess of £1.2 million to acquire his services. This is due to the "sizeable" sell-on fee that Wimbledon would have to pay to his previous club, Wycombe Wanderers, according to Witcoop.

Al-Hamadi has not only received interest from the two Yorkshire-based clubs, but, as Football League World exclusively revealed, he has been scouted by clubs across the Premier League and the Championship as well.

He had a brilliant start to life at Wimbledon, scoring 10 goals in just 19 appearances in the second half of the 2022/23 League Two season. But he is yet to score for the Dons in this current league campaign, and he didn't light up the world before joining them in January of last year.

Barnsley and Rotherham should be very cautious about signing him.

Is Ali Al-Hamadi actually good enough?

The Iranian international had a brilliant end to last season. His 11 goals and assists kept them from relegation to the National League and probably made Dons fans more hopeful about the season to come. They've started this new season well and currently sit third in the League Two table, having won two and drawn two.

But Al-Hamadi is yet to get off the mark. Not only is he not scoring goals, but he's not been playing very well. His average SofaScore match rating this season has been 6.4. It might not seem like it, but that's way down from his average of 7.03 last season.

There was no indication during his time with Wycombe, or his loan spell at Bromley, that he was going to be a real force in the EFL. He got five goals and assists in his 10 games for the National League side, and he didn't score at all in his nine games for the Wanderers.

What the signs do point towards is a half-season purple patch in which everything was clicking. Those are hard to recreate, and you could certainly question whether he'll be able to do it again, especially in League One or the Championship.

Why Barnsley and Rotherham should steer clear of Ali Al-Hamadi

£1.2 million is a ludicrous price tag for someone with such little EFL experience. He's contracted to Wimbledon until the summer of 2026, so that does make him a lot more valuable than if his contract were to expire at the end of the season, yet it's still a punchy figure.

But, just because Wimbledon will have to pay Wycombe some of the fee, it doesn't mean that Barnsley or Rotherham should be paying that sort of fee for a player who will be such a big risk for them, just so Wimbledon can make a bit more cash.

He will play far less than he currently is, which then means that he'll have even less time on the pitch to show his potential. That potential is obvious; you don't score 10 league goals in 19 games from luck. But there are much better, more proven, League Two options that will strengthen the goalscoring departments of both teams.

One name springs to mind: Luke Armstrong.

The Harrogate striker wasn't involved in his team's first few games of the season because he wanted to leave, despite the fact that things had quietened down surrounding his departure. But he's much more experienced, less of a gamble, and will cost nowhere near a seven-figure fee. The Yorkshire-based club would want a fee which is less than half the price of Al-Hamadi, as revealed by Carlisle United's manager, Paul Simpson, who said: "I’m led to believe they’re talking close to half a million for him."

If they can, Wimbledon should cash in on the Iranian forward. But, in terms of his destination, Barnsley and Rotherham should hang up the phone and laugh at that £1.2 million+ valuation.