Player Profile: Iker Munian

Recent Performances

In fairness to Muniaín, Bilbao was a bit of a mess last season. Not quite a France-at-the-2010-World-Cup kind of mess, but still not pretty. After a swashbuckling 2011-12 campaign that saw the club advance to the Europa League final, Bilbao stumbled last year to a 12th place finish in the league table and a -21 goal differential. Much of that had nothing to do with Muniaín.

The club lost its most important player (and close Muniaín friend) Javí Martinez to Bayern Munich (which worked out pretty well for him). There was a messy final season with out-of-contract striker Fernando Llorente, who frequently was benched and went from 30 goals in 2011-12 to just five last season.

And the squad generally seemed to grow tired with Bielsa’s manic approach (and that’s coming from a Bielsa fan). But Muniaín also did little to right the ship on his own. He posted only one goal and one assist in 33 league games for the season. Those are vintage 2011-12 Stewart Downing kind of numbers, not the sort of end product one would expect from a player with Muniaín’s talent.

Muniaín’s occasionally lackluster play in 2012-13 is somewhat understandable amidst the chaos of Bilbao’s lost season, but it also highlights the chief concerns with his development: consistency and maturity, both on and off the pitch. When things are going well and Muniaín is on the big stage playing against top class opponents in Europe, he can look like a world beater.

When things are not going as well, he does not appear to bring the same effort and can let lesser opponents off the hook. And he has found himself in hot water away from the game, too, being caught shirtless on a webcam with Javi Martinez and a pair of adult actresses before playing Manchester United. [Insert your own joke here.]

These may simply be the signs of immaturity that will pass. After all, Muniaín is still only 20. But, given the kind of significant transfer fee that he likely would command, any interested team is going to want to know whether they can count on him to stay focused and deliver the goods every game. Would the same player who starred on a European night in Old Traffordshow up for a rainy Saturday night league game at Stoke in January? You know, just as an example.Which brings us to the matter of the potential fee and fit on Merseyside.

Potential fee and fit on Merseyside

With Liverpool boss Brendan Rogers recently indicating that he would like to add a left-sided attacking player with pace, allowing Coutinho to play more centrally as a no. 10, Muniaín would seem to be a perfect fit at Anfield. He has not delivered the goal totals that Rodgers has suggested he would like to see from that position, but the potential is there – as his five goals during Bilbao’s run to the 2012 Europa League final suggests.

And Muniaín certainly has more to his game. With his creativity and ability to turn any possession into a scoring chance, he could be the type of game-breaking player that Liverpool simply has had too few of in recent years. And, as an added bonus, he’s already scored a goal and broken hearts at Old Trafford. You know if that sort of thing might matter to you.

Like Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge, Muniaín was highly touted and showed flashes of brilliance as a very young player, only to see his development – and market value – dip. A change of scenery might prove similarly beneficial for the Spanish international. But, unlike Liverpool’s pair of January acquisitions, who were facing limited playing opportunities at Inter and Chelsea, respectively, Muniaín still has a guaranteed starting berth at Bilbao.

And although Bilbao surely would not have been satisfied with Muniaín’s efforts over the last year, their Basque-only player policy makes him uniquely valuable to the club. As such, Bilbao very well may be expected to seek a transfer fee upwards of €20 million, if they were to sell.

So, where does that leave us with respect to Muniaín?

Strengths

Pace; dribbling; ball control; creativity; mullet; performance versus Man U; being photographed shirtless with adult film actresses.

Weaknesses

Strength; tackling; aerial ability; maturity; being photographed shirtless with adult film actresses.

Conclusion

Yes, please. Sign him up. I’m already ordering a shirt with his name on the back right now.