Samuel Eto'o Set To Leave Anzhi Makhachkala; What Are The Odds Of A FC Barcelona Return?

Samuel Eto'o established himself as one of the greatest strikers in the modern age during his time at the Camp Nou with FC Barcelona, scoring an unbelievable 108 league goals in just five seasons in Catalunya. Even in his last season with the club, when then-Barca coach Pep Guardiola actively attempted to sell one his star forwards, Eto'o delivered a personal best 36 goals -- including a 30 goal-haul in La Liga. While Eto'o was eventually sold (or swapped) with Internazionale for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he remains a popular figure among Cules -- and perhaps more importantly, bears no grudge with the Barca management.

In fact, Eto'o is still involved with the Blaugrana, through his Samuel Eto'o Foundation, which has helped Barcelona identify the stars of tomorrow in Eto'o's native Cameroon; Jean-Marie Dongou and Frank Bagnack are just two of the young starlets set to make a lasting impression on the Catalan giants.

And thanks to a drastic change of heart from Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, Eto'o may now be available for transfer. Indeed, there have long been rumours from Dagestan that Eto'o would have at least had to take a drastic pay-cut to remain at the club, but with Anzhi sliding down the table, Kerimov has reportedly decided that his club needs to change direction, focusing on young, local talent rather than superstar footballers. And if the Anzhi project is virtually over, then what reason does Eto'o have to stay in Russia?

His contract expires at the end of the season, and by then, Eto'o will be 33. His best years will be behind him, and it's certain that he's received enough money to live out the rest of his life in luxury, so how about ending his career at one of the clubs that he loves? Eto'o, just as long as he's willing to take a massive pay-cut, could surely add another dimension to this Barcelona attack, providing the club experience and quality off the bench, perhaps last seen in Henrik Larsson. And if he's available on a free transfer in twelve months time, wouldn't you be interested in bringing Samuel Eto'o back to the Camp Nou?

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