Offer made: Man Utd step up for £30m ‘undervalued’ ace, he’s just like Jorginho
A new development has been made in Manchester United’s hunt for Fiorentina playmaker Sofyan Amrabat.
What has changed since Amrabat moved to Manchester United?
Sportitalia say the Red Devils have “submitted” an offer to the Serie A outfit, worth around €35m (£30m), following indications that an “agreement” has been reached with the 26-year-old on the personal conditions.
The player is reportedly “ready to leave Florence” and move up to the Premier League, and the article says the Moroccan international is now “one step away” from joining the Old Trafford squad.
The former Club Brugge star currently has just one year on his current contract, allowing United to complete a transfer without breaking the bank. He previously played under Erik ten Hag for FC Utrecht.
What pieces is Sofyan Amrabat known for?
Ten Hag began his summer spending by acquiring Mason Mount from opponents Chelsea, but it looks like the former Ajax manager is looking to strengthen his midfield even further, especially with Fred and Donny van de Beek facing to an uncertain future at the club.
Signing Amrabat appears to help fill another need, as the Dutch-born star will provide a composed and powerful presence in front of the defence. According to his manager, Mount will bring more “dynamism” to United’s midfield in the number eight attacking position. The “underrated” talent, as defined by author Muhammad Butt, plays a similar role to Jorginho at Arsenal and previously at Chelsea. According to FBref, the two players would have stylistic and statistical parallels.
The similarities between Amrabat and the Italy international, who also moved to England from Serie A, can be seen in the way they both typically play in a deep midfield position and are unlikely to often bomb forward. For example, Fiorentina’s Amrabat is in the bottom 6% of his European peers for contacts in the attacking penalty box, while the former Napoli player is only in the bottom 28%.
Thanks to their discipline, the two manage to control the pace of play in the center of the field and, if possible, push the ball towards the more offensive players. Notably, Jorginho ranks in the top 9% for pass attempts and top 11% for progressive passes, while Amrabat ranks in the top 11% and top 8% for the same two metrics respectively.
The advantage of having such talent in midfield is that they rarely cause their team any trouble or waste possession; Amrabat and Jorginho, for example, both rank in the top 5% and top 15% respectively for passport processing, reflecting this innate attitude.
This comparison with the latter player is significant as the 31-year-old Brazilian-born champions were previously hailed as ‘the best midfielder in Europe’ by former United manager Jose Mourinho and won the player award. of the Year that year. 2021.
The veteran player had growing pains at Stamford Bridge and received negative reviews from Blues fans following his move from Napoli in 2018. However, he has since emerged victorious, proving doubters wrong. Amrabat, a six-foot-tall jewel who has been called “a raging bull” by Moroccan journalist Amine El Amri, could therefore be a coup for Ten Hag when it comes to finding his version of the Champions League-winning playmaker.
Perhaps the 49-capped ace can follow in the footsteps of Jorginho, who has enjoyed success in the Premier League.