Sofyan Amrabat can become the best-value Man Utd signing of the Erik ten Hag-era
ENGLAND, Sept. 1 For some football fans, the off-season is the part of the calendar that they look forward to the most, as that can only mean one thing: It’s time for transfers! Over the past weeks and months, the biggest names have been linked with the biggest clubs, with speculation going into overdrive before massive deals are made and players officially make the move.
According to GOAL, we all know that some transfers turn out well for all parties involved, but there are plenty where at least one of the clubs, or even the player, are left wondering what might have been had they made a different decision while at the negotiating table.
Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina to Man Utd, loan)
For Fiorentina: Finally, an end to a most annoying distraction for Vincenzo Italiano and his team! Still, this saga hasn’t really been resolved in a wholly satisfactory manner for Fiorentina. To their credit, they dismissed United’s ludicrous initial offer of a €2m loan fee to be paid in two instalments. But the hope all along was to get rid of Amrabat on a permanent deal, for somewhere in the region of €30m. The loan deal they’ve struck with United is obviously better than nothing and Fiorentina will obviously be glad that they can finally focus their attention elsewhere – for a while at least – but the Viola were obviously hoping for a more definitive and more lucrative resolution to the matter. Grade: C+
For Manchester United: A decent deal at last. It’s been a very trying summer for United, whose budgetary restrictions have been laid bare in the final few weeks of the window. However, Amrabat should add real bite – and some badly-needed dynamism – to Erik ten Hag’s midfield, which has been badly overrun in recent outings. United were desperate for a defensive midfielder – and they’ve got a very good one for very little money. Amrabat could easily end up being the best-value transfer of Ten Hag’s tenure to date. Grade: B+
For Amrabat: The belated realisation of a dream. Amrabat thought he’d done enough at Qatar 2022 to earn himself a transfer to a truly elite club – and one can understand why. The Moroccan was absolutely sensational during the African nation’s historic run to the semi-finals of the World Cup, an indefatigable presence in front of the back four who nullified the threat posed by some of the best attacking midfielders in the game. However, the challenge now for Amrabat is to show that he can deliver top-class performances on a consistent basis – something he never achieved at Fiorentina. Still, United could not have signed a more determined or hard-working character. Grade: A
