Allen Obando is a 17-year-old striker who plays for the first team of Barcelona SC. Even though he is still eligible to play for Barcelona SC U-17, Obando was mainly playing for Barcelona SC U-19 in the first half of the season. The striker got six senior appearances for Barcelona SC in the second half of the season and is now a regular squad player for them. I’ve watched Obando this season in the Sudamericano U-17, World Cup U-17, Copa Tango MDM U-18 and for Barcelona SC. This is the first time I’m writing about Obando for Target Scouting.
The striker is very tall standing at around 1.88 meters and has a slim build with strong legs. He generates a lot of power from his legs in both ground and aerial duels, looking very strong in duels with his back towards the goal and winning most of his aerial duels. Obando has shown glimpses of being a great athlete, turning away from his opponent quickly and looking like a very mobile striker. He is quick over short and long distances. Obando will get even faster once he’s fully developed physically. He sporadically has average footwork and can look a bit slow, even though he is not slow.
Allen Obando has the potential to reach elite levels at holding- and linking up play. His technique is quite inconsistent. He can occasionally lose control over the ball in tight areas but has also shown glimpses of good dribbling ability. His passing over both short and longer distances is also inconsistent. He does not always pass the ball cleanly and his passing can lack accuracy. His headed passing also lacks accuracy and direction, even though he also receives the ball in isolation sometimes. His positioning in the box is pretty decent, often getting on the end of crosses and displaying decent finishing ability with his head and both feet. Obando is quite composed in front of goal, but his ball-striking is pretty inconsistent.
I expect that Allen Obando will become a regular starter for Barcelona SC in 2024. However, as Barcelona SC are not particularly known for giving youth academy players many chances, it remains to be seen whether he will actually become a regular starter. He has the level to play regularly in the Ecuadorian Liga Pro.
I think it will not take long before the young Ecuadorian will make a transfer to Europe, as his physical profile in combination with his athleticism and decent technique. His technique will get a lot more consistent once he gets older, while he will get even stronger and quicker once he is fully developed physically. I am not sure if he can become a world-class striker but he has a very interesting profile and definitely has the potential to play for good clubs in the top 5 leagues. His next step should be either Belgium, The Netherlands or Portugal.
Target Scouting 