Barcelona’s forward Sandro looks set to leave on a free transfer (Picture: Getty Images)

When Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez announced that Sandro would be leaving, there was a sense of surprise in and around the club.

After it became clear that he’d be going for nothing, that surprise turned to anger.

Along with Munir El Haddadi, the stocky centre-forward was fast-tracked to Barca’s first-team after impressing at the lower levels.

Although it’s true he did find the initial step up difficult, there are certain mitigating circumstances that the club don’t appear to have taken into account or have conveniently overlooked.


For example, despite there being ample opportunity to rest any one of Messi, Neymar or Suarez over the last 18 months or so, Luis Enrique felt it only necessary to do so in Copa Del Rey games against minnows that would roll over, with respect to those opponents.



Ramirez was never really given the chance to shine and like Gerard Deulofeu, Adama Traore and others before him, another rough Blaugrana diamond will have to move on to pastures new to continue his footballing education.

There’s likely to be a queue of admirers, but the player would do worse than follow Deulofeu and Traore to England.

He certainly has the skill set to make a decent fist of a career in the Premier League.

Not easily knocked off of the ball, Sandro is direct when in possession of the ball and has a keen eye for goal.

West Ham United’s Slaven Bilic is keen to add some attacking talent to his squad (Picture: Getty Images)

His shooting accuracy could be improved but given a reasonable run of games under the tutelage of a forward-thinking manager, there’s every reason to think that whomever wants to acquire his services will get much more than a ‘reserve.’

Slaven Bilic not only talks a good game, as can be seen via his Euro 2016 punditry, but he knows how to get the best from players.

Look at the way that the Croatian has got West Ham playing – with several of the players that were languishing in the bottom half of the table under Sam Allardyce still heavily involved.

Allowing his staff to express themselves in an attacking set up but within the team dynamic is winning Bilic plaudits from all corners.

With rumours of imminent departures for Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia and continued question marks over Andy Carroll’s fitness, West Ham could do with some reinforcements up front before they begin their 2016/17 campaign.

Bilic only needs to view the footage of the NextGen tournament from the last time Sandro was in London, when he completely destroyed Tottenham Hotspur to know what the striker brings to the party.

A player that’s still in the fledgling stage of his professional career but who’s hungry, willing to learn and free of charge.

It’s not even a gamble really is it.