Written by Jeroen Adriaanse (@J_Adriaanse)
Liverpool are ready to fight with AC Milan to secure the services of Ajax winger Anwar El Ghazi, whose contract set to expire in 2019, this summer. The Reds will tussle with the Italian side for the 20-year-old El Ghazi as Jurgen Klopp’s side has already been in touch with the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes. Nevertheless, Liverpool have yet to formally approach Ajax to discuss a possible transfer. Also, Ajax director Marc Overmars recently stated that the highly rated winger is “not for sale”.
El Ghazi moved from local side BVV Barendrecht to the renowned Feyenoord academy at he age of eleven where he started to play alongside Tonny Vilhena as a winger. Unfortunately, his time at Feyenoord did not turn out to be a success, which made El Ghazi ultimately decide to seek refuge in Spartaan’ 20. From that point, the youngster turned the tables by attracting the interest of Sparta Rotterdam. He kept on developing and, eventually, earned himself an invitation to join the Ajax academy, signing for the Amsterdam-based club back in 2013.
Following a great preseason and a positive report from youth-coach Jaap Stam, El Ghazi was allowed to make his debut for Ajax, as Lesley de Sa’s departure to Go Ahead Eagles left a gap to fill on the wing during the 2014-2015 Eredivisie campaign. The talented El Ghazi successfully grabbed his chance by scoring 9 goals, while recording 8 assists for Ajax that season. Currently, he has already scored 11 goals and produced two assists. However, some injuries prevented him from improving this tally.
Nevertheless, El Ghazi remains hungry to end the season on a high note and to contribute to Ajax’s title push. After all, his pace and power when being in possession make him an unpredictable projectile every time he enters the final third. His speed, which is quite impressive for someone being 6-foot-2 tall, and technical abilities allows him to take on defenders with ease to either finds space to shoot on goal or to go down the line to provide a cross into the area.
Moving on the downside of El Ghazi’s style of play, like his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, El Ghazi’s work rate is often questioned as he only tracks back full-backs when he is really required to do so. Ironically, Jurgen Klopp could be the perfect manager to improve this aspect, as he demands from his players to press early all the time. With the purchase of El Ghazi, Klopp will finally be able to rely on the services of a true right-winger, because Adam Lallana lacks place and is, ultimately, not a winger, while Jordon Ibe’s future remains uncertain.
All in all, it seems that El Ghazi has a bright future ahead of him. A recent trip to Milan sparked rumours about a possible transfer to the Rossoneri although it seems that Liverpool can still spoil the party. The player himself told his agent that he would rather move to the Premier League. Liverpool are all but well stocked in the wing positions and as such, one could argue that El Ghazi may well be the latest player to lean against a wall at Liverpool’s training ground.
