Anis Hadj Moussa Returns for Feyenoord's Champions League Clash with Barcelona

Anis Hadj Moussa is back in from the cold. The transfer saga is over, the late arrivals forgiven, and Feyenoord will take their Algerian winger into the fire of Camp Nou.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst confirmed in Spain that the club has drawn a line under days of turbulence. Hadj Moussa, who sat out Saturday’s league win over NEC after twice turning up late and being told his head “was not in the game”, has been restored to the travelling squad for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Barcelona.

The disruption traced back to Saudi Arabia. Al-Ittihad came forward with a multi-million euro offer, a move that clearly rattled the 24-year-old. The deal collapsed when the club failed to provide the necessary bank guarantee, leaving Hadj Moussa in Rotterdam and Feyenoord with a restless forward on their hands.

That restlessness has now been confronted head-on.

On Tuesday, during training in Spain, Hadj Moussa stood in front of his team-mates and spoke. No cameras, no press releases – just a dressing-room issue handled on the pitch.

“He addressed the group on the training pitch,” Van Bronckhorst said. “It was serious and occasionally met with a laugh from the squad. It was a good way to put this behind us.”

The coach did not excuse the behaviour that led to his omission against NEC. He called the winger’s matchday choices unacceptable. But once the window slammed shut and the Saudi move died, the tone changed. Hadj Moussa, Van Bronckhorst stressed, has responded in the right way.

“When the deal fell through, he turned the page,” the Feyenoord manager said. “There is no better match for him to let his feet do the talking.”

That match is no gentle reintroduction. Camp Nou, Barcelona, and the opening night of the Champions League group stage. A stage on which Van Bronckhorst still believes Hadj Moussa can decide games.

The coach underlined that message: the winger remains a key asset, a player with the quality to tilt big occasions. Internal talks on Sunday cleared the air, and Van Bronckhorst insisted that players and staff have moved on together.

Hadj Moussa has returned to full training and is in line to feature on Wednesday evening. Whether he starts or comes from the bench, his presence instantly deepens Feyenoord’s attacking options.

There will be a fresh face alongside him in the squad. Seventeen-year-old Jerayno Schaken has been called up for the trip, a notable step for the youngster as he joins the senior group on one of European football’s grandest stages. Reiss Nelson, by contrast, stays behind, ruled out through injury.

Feyenoord arrive in Spain buoyed by their domestic victory over NEC, a win achieved without Hadj Moussa but with a clear sense of purpose. The challenge now is to turn that momentum into a statement performance in Europe.

The noise of the transfer market has finally faded. For Van Bronckhorst and his players, everything from here must be decided where it counts: under the lights, on the grass, with Barcelona in front of them and a long Champions League campaign just beginning.