Manchester United have already faced the disappointing setback of being beaten to the punch by a bitter rival for one of their primary midfield targets this summer. Now, it is time for the Red Devils to inflict the same punishment as payback.
Midfield Rebuild
Heading into the transfer window, virtually every top club in Europe had expressed some level of interest in Nottingham Forest talisman Elliot Anderson. However, the Tricky Trees’ exorbitant valuation of the 23-year-old meant that only two competitors remained: Manchester City and Manchester United.
INEOS considered Anderson their prime target to take the reins from Casemiro in central midfield, whose contract expired last month and who is set to join MLS side Inter Miami on a free transfer.
Unfortunately for the red half of the city, Anderson’s preference was a switch to the Etihad over Old Trafford, even with the departure of Pep Guardiola. Forest’s demands for a British record fee were also beyond United’s war chest this summer, unless the plan changed from three new recruits in midfield to just one.
The Red Devils reluctantly bowed out of the race, leaving Manchester City with a free run at the Whitley Bay native. It proved a difficult task despite this, with Forest eventually extracting a club-record fee of £116 million out of the Citizens.
Manchester United pivoted towards West Ham starlet Mateus Fernandes as an alternative to Anderson. Yet the same tale played out as Tottenham Hotspur hijacked United’s move for the one-cap Portugal international, eventually agreeing an £85 million deal with the Hammers.
In the place of both Anderson and Fernandes, with an audacious swoop for Aurelien Tchouameni ruled out, United have agreed deals for Andrey Santos (Chelsea, £50m) and Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa, £35m). The combined price equates to the same Tottenham Hotspur forked out for Fernandes, suggesting INEOS’s frugal approach has borne some fruit, even if the West Ham midfielder’s ceiling is sky high.
But one fact remains: United still lack a natural No.6; a defensive-minded enforcer to anchor their midfield around. It is understood that a rough budget of £150 million had been set aside to solely focus on midfield. This would leave around £65m left in the bank.
Nonetheless, the pool of options capable of filling this role is finite – and grows smaller by the day. If United want to sign a world-class No.6, they may be forced to gamble on potential as much as proven pedigree, even if the price is commensurate with a player in their prime.
Thankfully, the perfect prospect is plying his trade at a club with whom INEOS have an excellent working relationship, and this would allow the hierarchy to exact revenge on their noisy neighbours in M11.
Bouaddi is Europe’s next great No.6
After enjoying a superb season in Ligue 1 with LOSC Lille, Bouaddi’s reputation has skyrocketed following an incredible World Cup at the heart of a Morocco side who reached the quarter-final, only to be knocked out by France.
In Group C’s opening game, the 18-year-old was deployed in a double pivot next to Roma enforcer Neil Yoni El Aynaoui, with Noussair Mazraoui at left-back. However, the BBC reveals it was the youngster who played “most of his minutes as a holding midfielder”, dropping deep to pick up the ball and helping progress play forward.
Bouaddi was the best player on a pitch stacked with talent. He finished the match with the most touches and accurate passes for Morocco, with the Atlas Lions desperately unlucky not to take all three points. It was a level of performance he maintained throughout the tournament.
Moroccan football expert, Amine el Amri, believes the French-born midfielder has the potential to be “one of the best midfielders ever in the game, not just for Morocco”. Having captained France under-21s, Bouaddi only officially declared for the Atlas Lions a month before the World Cup kicked off, making his rise all the more impressive.
“He has such talent but he has to keep his cool and his feet on the ground. You can’t be a star if you don’t work hard enough. At first glance, he reminds you a lot of Sergio Busquets. He is very tall but also not very muscular. Normally you would get players with muscles in the number six or eight position,” El Amri states.
“What he does best is keep his cool when he has the ball and when he is pressing. He doesn’t commit a lot of fouls, which is what made Busquets a complete midfielder.”
Standing 6’1″, Bouaddi’s height should be of particular attraction at Old Trafford. The loss of Casemiro will be felt in many areas, but the arrival of Santos and Tielemans will replace, or even upgrade, some of these. Yet the 34-year-old Brazilian’s aerial ability – in both boxes – is outside either new recruit’s wheelhouse.
Bouaddi is not a monster in the air, but his frame provides more protection to the defence than any diminutive combination of Santos, Tielemans or Mainoo. He is also more mobile than Tielemans or Mainoo, while offering strong ball-winning abilities, courtesy of his awareness and timing.
In possession, the Moroccan is excellent at receiving the ball under pressure, capable of spinning on the half-turn to beat the opposition press. His short-range passing is accurate, though his distribution at longer distances needs work. Having Tielemans as an experienced playmaker next to him would balance this, while giving him a mentor to learn from at Carrington.
The potential combination Bouaddi and Mainoo offers in the long term would make United’s midfield the envy of virtually every side in Europe, though the Lille wonderkid’s performances in North America prove he is ready to contribute now.
Final Thoughts – Time to Hijack
While a host of top clubs have expressed interest in Bouaddi, Manchester City are understood to be pushing hard to strike a deal, as David Ornstein reveals. The Athletic reporter confirms Manchester United have “been in contact” with his camp in the past 12 months, while Arsenal are another suitor.
Bouaddi is believed to be close to making a decision on his future, though Lille chairman Olivier Létang has referenced the big-money deals in the Premier League this summer as a benchmark for negotiations.
“When I see Anderson move to Manchester City for £116m and Tonali to Tottenham for £100m, and they don’t have the potential for development that Ayyoub has because he possesses unique qualities. I have a price in mind, and we’ll see what happens.”
Well-placed sources suggest £85 million may be sufficient to lure Bouaddi away from the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. This would be significantly more than the £65m left remaining in United’s budget – but the youngster is a talent worth digging deep into the pockets to secure. INEOS have history for going all-out to sign wonderkids from Lille after all.
With Manchester City having already added Anderson to a unit containing Rodri, Mateo Kovacic, Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders, there simply is no need for Bouaddi to be added to the mix. A highly-rated 19-year-old midfielder – Sverre Nypen – is set to go out on loan to a newly promoted Belgian side next season, such is the queue at the Etihad.
At Old Trafford, Bouaddi would have the chance to stake a claim in Carrick’s squad from day one, surrounded by other prodigious youngsters – Mainoo and Santos – while guided by wiser elders in Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes. The fact that a potentially record-breaking deal for the Moroccan would deal a decisive blow to the blue half of Manchester would simply be the cherry on top of a delicious cake.
Feature image Kevin C. Cox via Getty Images
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