Goal.com Profile: Eidur Gudjohnsen

Eidur Gudjohnsen is a player that divides opinion like few others at FC Barcelona and questions are still asked about whether he has ever fit in at Camp Nou in the summer that he is expected to leave the club.

A hero in his native Iceland, the 30-year-old can cite his part in one of the Blaugrana's most successful campaigns ever as vindication that he was not only capable of playing  for the team, but that he should have had an even bigger role.

Strength, technique, guile and power have been trademarks of Gudjohnsen's throughout a career that promised so much when he was young and has delivered in spurts and it is his versatility that may well have prevented him from becoming a great player.

During his time at Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea and now at Barcelona, his managers and coaches have had difficult identifying the best position to play the bustling, 1.85-metre forward.

For Bolton he scored goals and showed an exquisite touch in and around the penalty area before going on to shine in a more supportive role at Chelsea behind the likes of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink while sometimes even falling back to midfield.

Inheriting the number seven shirt from out-and-out goalscorer Javier Saviola at Barcelona meant that he was seen as someone that could add to the firepower going forward, but instead both Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola have preferred Gudjohnsen in a deeper role.

With Bojan Krkic as the number one replacement in the number nine role, Guardiola believed that the Icelandic star could help out creatively in midfield while pushing forward with incisive runs when necessary.

That was highlighted best when Gudjohnsen netted the winner in a tense encounter with Real Betis in Camp Nou, but his goal in the 3-2 win also showed that whatever he did he could not hold down a regular place.

Guardiola's talk last summer persuaded the player to stay even though he knew he would not start every match and the fact he was settled in Catalunya with his two sons in the Barca youth academy saw him relax and enjoy the game.

But despite some definitive contributions, Gudjohnsen was unhappy as the season drew to a thrilling finale as he was omitted from the squad and left as an unused substitute in the crucial games that saw Barca win the treble.

Confused and disillusioned, it was Guardiola's decision to bring through youngsters in games when he wanted more minutes that could now see him leave Barcelona and return to England.

When Goal.com spoke to Gudjohnsen during the season at the Blaugrana's Ciutat Esportiva training complex, he revealed that he would like to return to PSV one day.

But one more stint in the Premier League looks due before he returns to Holland to pay back the loyalty and dedication that he himself believes the Eindhoven club showed him during a difficult spell between 1994 and 1997.

English football maybe better suited to the talents of a player who made history by coming on for his father Arnor at international level in 1996, but then picked up an ankle injury that prevented the pair from playing together soon after.

It was that injury that tormented him during his time at PSV, but his failure to impress in the Eredivisie meant that he ended up with Bolton Wanderers and then Chelsea.

If he does indeed leave Barcelona this summer then many will have mixed feelings about his three-year spell at the club as he won as many fans as he managed to alienate.

The Blaugrana faithful, on the whole, enjoyed his committed displays and ability to add drive and ambition to the team if and when they flagged, but some found that the fact he was a level below playmakers such as Xavi and Andres Iniesta frustrating.

There would be no such comments made at Goodison, Villa or Upton Park should he join one of three clubs in England being linked with him as the type of player just described would flourish in such surroundings.

Nothing is certain though and talks with Guardiola are still due and he could yet accept another year in a supporting role if he puts quality of life ahead of professional ambition.

Whatever happens, the arguments about his time at Camp Nou will go on, but one thing that could persuade any doubters is his medal haul and the value that his coaches placed on him throughout.

Lucas Brown, Goal.com

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