Odion Ighalo Says He Didn’t Sign With Barcelona Because Of The Deal Terms

During the January transfer window, we were thrilled to learn that FC Barcelona was interested in signing Odion Ighalo. Sadly, Ighalo opted for a Chinese club instead, as the Barça deal fell through. And now we know why he didn’t make the move to Spain.

According to reports, the 29-year-old rejected Barcelona because he wasn’t assured of playing time. He’s quoted by Brila as saying:

“The deal was for me to play on loan for a season, but I was not ready to take chances as my playing minutes could not be guaranteed, and at end of the season I will be a free agent.”

Ighalo had made it clear that he was very much interested in coming back to Europe, but what was the use of that if it made his career suffer? We’ve seen what players like Victor Moses have had to go through because of a similar situation.

Obviously, the Super Eagles striker wanted to secure his future, and the only way he could do that was to move from his former Chinese club, Changchun Yatai to another one, Shanghai Shenhua, where his playing time is pretty much a given.