So buy option rather than mandatory clause?
Damn.
They'll definitely buy him. Has established as a starter and Betis fans love him.
He has developed beyond my expectations in a short time. Will be interesting to see what we'll do with him and at CB in general over next 2-3 years. We have some good talents under club control (one way or another) and will need to find ways to develop their full potential and maximize value to generate money by selling at the right time and ofc more importantly also keep the best one or two of the bunch here longterm.
Could see us bringing Chadi back in 2025 as a left-footed CB when Inigo will probably leave. But ofc we also have Mika Faye who could also be loaned (or sold with a buy back) to get experience at a higher level if won't make a breakthrough here in next 6-18 months. Could potentially try him out as a defensive LB too (We've not seen him play there yet but wouldn't mind if Rafa would try him out in that position with Cubarsi and Mbacke at CB in some games) and that potential flexibility could "buy him" more time at the club. Sergi Roberto anyone? He's not a Catalan thoguh.
One question mark I have is how Chadi would do alongside Araujo as they are similar profiles. Chadi probably better on the ball (not quite AC or Inigo level though) and could still improve while Araujo probably is what he is in that aspect. Faye would probably be a better fit alongside our future captain.
There is also Mika Marmol who is a starter at UDLP who have the second best defense in La Liga (most people are probably unaware of that fact). But at 22 he's the oldest amongst them and IIRC we only have 50% of future sale and not a buy back. So we'll probably hope some club will pay good fee rather than try to bring him back.
Andres Cuenca is another player I like but he's probably a long shot to make it here at this point. You never know though.
And last but not least ofc Cubarsi who I could see as a longterm replacement for Christensen but he still needs to get much more experience. Not sure what's the best move for him next season but clearly should continue to play regularly at BA and potentially get some first team minutes this year.
I also like Mbacke and we have a buy option but he's a bit older and not sure we'll pay 6m for him (if reported clause is real). If can get him for half that price then maybe buy and loan him to increase his value before selling could be something to consider. He has everything to develop into a good to very good CB but probably not here. Another thing is I think he could also be tried as a RB but as with Faye (and even more so) not something I think the club really considers.
