2024-01-22 13:42:12
There aren’t many sporting moments that leave you speechless, especially in a season that feels like the teams play football once every two days. Yesterday (Sunday) we got such a moment from the feet of Anan Halaili, one of the players who knows how to produce it perhaps better than any of the other players who walk around our districts.
Halaili’s goal against Maccabi Netanya, in the green 0:4, was no ordinary goal. The perfect ball from Pierre Cornu spread across the entire field, the nonchalant takeover of the ball with his chest, the movement and the kick from a distance straight to the net shows self-confidence and perfect execution until the connections. Before you continue reading this article, take a minute and watch the synopsis above starting at 1:30 in the player above.
Now that the enthusiasm has died down, let’s talk about Halaili. After a great start to the season and a lot of half chances, it feels like the Masai Dago player started to get into situations, when he scored for the third time in a row (and added an assist against Maccabi Petah Tikva). In Haifa itself they said that “he will not be sold for less than four million euros”, and this is a good opportunity to talk about the next step and progress in the current season.
First of all, it is important to note that it is difficult to see a situation in which Halaili leaves in the winter. Maccabi Haifa needs him professionally and gives him confidence in the team, besides the fact that this is his first season in senior football and it is better, for him too, that he finishes it with the team. The summer is a completely different story, certainly after the Olympics where Halaili could be one of Israel’s best players.
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A huge talent (Bernie Ardov)
More threatening from a distance than Rafaelov, more dribbler than Milson
One of Haifa’s most notable changes in recent games was the switch to 3:5:2, with Halaili playing alternately as a second striker or as a winger. Masai Degu’s team has scored 12 goals in its last three games with the movement in the attack of all the players, and in particular Halaili himself, making it much more dangerous.
Halaili plays this role alongside Dean Dodd, a player who can move dangerously on his own (as we’ve covered here before), and could also play alongside Frantzadi Piero. This diversity raises Halaili’s price tag and makes him a much more dangerous player, certainly now that the confidence has increased and the goals have started to come as well.
The goal against Netanya came in a tremendous operation from a distance. The goal against Sakhnin came after a huge mistake by Muhammad Abu Nil when Halaili was simply in the right place, and the goal against Maccabi Pat came thanks to a powerful kick from the edge of the box, about 14 m from the goal.
Verstili (Berni Ardov) Halaili’s ability to kick from a distance, an art that is gradually disappearing from the football fields, is one of his most important weapons. The goal against Netanya and the one against Maccabi Pet showed that it is impossible to leave him free, which increases the “margin” of Maccabi Haifa against teams that crowd the stadium.
16 of Halaili’s 39 kicks came from outside the box, about 41%, and he is second only to Sherry in threats from a distance. Halaili kicked from further away than Rafalov (14) or Gabi Kanikovski (12), other creative midfielders who threaten the goal from a distance.
His main weapon, of course, is the dribble. He is second only to Mohamed Kamara in the number of successful dribbles in the league, dribbles better than Milson and manages to open the game this way already at this stage of his career. Together with the sparks that he showed as a morale and countless situations that he arranged for Fernetzadi Piero and Dean David (and translated into only two assists), this is already a complete attacking player.
Complete attacking player (Danny Maron)
So how much is it worth?
Depends on who you ask. Haifa itself claims that “he will be sold for at least 4 million euros. A right-handed Halaili who can also kick on the left, unlike Omar Atzili.” sincerely? It may be a realistic assessment, even if the various bodies are far from it.
“Transmarket”, for example, claims that Halaili is worth 1.2 million euros at the moment and doubled his value 4.8 times in just half a season. Football Transfers believes that his value is between 1.5 million and 2.3 million euros, and the amount may be higher.
If the 19-year-old Halaili, a player who has already proven himself physically in the Champions League qualifiers in August, will lead Maccabi Haifa to victory over Gent and an impressive campaign in Europe – the value will only increase. If he closes the gap against Robbie Keen’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, a team that is covered in the world – the gap will only increase.
Here, again, comes the Olympics. National team soccer is primarily a soccer that is considered older and one that physical players can break through, and the 19-year-old Halaili already has a physical advantage over mature players. A good tournament in the Olympics, when Israel cannot accept a European team in the group stage, can lead teams from around the world to follow. Add to that the fact that most teams are willing to spend more money in the summer transfer window, compared to the one in which Oskar Gloch was sold in the winter, for example, and we may see a sort of “auction” between several different clubs.
The most expensive exit in the history of Maccabi Haifa is Igbini Yacobo who was sold for 4.75 million euros to Portsmouth, Oscar Gloch was sold from Maccabi Tel Aviv for 7.5 million euros. A good tournament in the summer, and perhaps also a successful campaign with Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League or Conference League qualifiers in 2024/25, and there is a possibility that he will pass both. We will live and see.
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