If proof was needed to ensure that Spain were worthy finalists for this summer’s Euro 2024, it could be seen through how Luis de la Fuente’s squad was packed full of star players staking their claim to be the nation’s hero following Tuesday’s 2-1 win over France. Whether it be a remarkable goal scored by 16-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal, the stalwart leadership or Rodri in the middle of the park, or even the impressive box-to-box antics of wing-back Marc Cucurella on the left flank, Spain could call on many players who have undoubtedly stepped up a notch throughout this tournament.
However, one player who has perhaps outshone all others in the red and yellow of Spain in the knock-out rounds of this tournament is none other than Dani Olmo. Despite being benched for three of Spain’s first four games of the tournament, Olmo was quickly parachuted in as a key player in the quarter-finals, when Pedri picked up an injury and was forced to come off just eight minutes into the game. However, Pedri’s misfortune ended up working wonders for his national team, as Olmo went on to bag a goal and an assist to knock out the tournament hosts. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, the RB Leipzig star went one step further on Tuesday, when he latched on to a loose ball in the French box and with the drop of a shoulder jinked past Aurélien Tchouaméni to score what proved to be the winning goal. In total, Olmo has bagged an impressive three goals and two assists at this summer’s tournament, which works out at a remarkable rate of a goal scored or created every 68 minutes of football.
A frustrated Bundesliga star in the Making
Fans of the Bundesliga wouldn’t have been entirely surprised by Olmo’s remarkable skills on Tuesday night, because the Spanish midfielder has been performing similar heroics for RB Leipzig for the past five seasons. Throughout 107 games for the Saxony club, Olmo has bagged 17 goals and 24 assists at a rate of 0.57 goals and assists per 90 minutes of league football. This has led to several big clubs taking an interest in the former Barcelona youth player, with Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and his former Spanish club all taking a reported interest in signing the player this summer. According to Fabrizio Romano, Olmo has a release clause of just €60 million which will rather dramatically expire on Monday, July 15 – one day after the Euro 2024 final. But, there is a notable reason why Olmo hasn’t been snapped up by one of Europe’s biggest clubs before now and it has unfortunately held the player back during his time in Germany.
Indeed, as we can see in the graph above, Olmo’s struggles with injury are rather notorious in German football with the player missing no less than 68 games for RB Leipzig throughout the last three seasons. To put that into perspective, since making the move to Leipzig, Olmo has featured in 6,436 minutes of league football in the Bundesliga. This may seem like a lot but in truth, it works out at just 38% of the total league minutes he could have played in throughout the five and half seasons he’s been at the German club. Of course, not all of that is directly due to the player missing out through injury – he has also been benched or not included in matchday squads at all during that period – but for a player considered to be one of Leipzig’s best players since joining the club, it’s still a remarkably damning stat.
With that context in mind, this summer’s heroics for Spain certainly underline the remarkable potential that Olmo possesses and the kind of player he could become either for Leipzig or another club this summer if the young star can get over his injury concerns. As we can see in the graphic above, Olmo’s market value quickly shot up to €50m shortly after making the move to Germany but has since stagnated and moved between the €40m-€50m mark for the past two or three years due to the simple fact that as soon as he sets off on a remarkable run of form injury tends to strike. If Olmo is to push past that barrier and become one of Europe’s best players, he’ll have to overcome his injury problems and find a way to put them behind him. Then, and perhaps only then, will fans be able to see what the Spaniard is capable of on a more regular basis. But, for now, fans of the Spanish national team can relish in a fully-fit Olmo, as he almost single-handedly guides Spain to what could be a fourth European Championship title.
Sourced from; Transfermarkt.com
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