Where the prospect of Jadon Sancho or Kai Havertz leaving Germany this summer is enough to inspire manic excitement in even the most casual fußball fan, a player of similar importance has just made a relatively quiet exit from the Bundesliga.
With the expiry of his two-year loan deal at Borussia Dortmund, Achraf Hakimi has slipped out of the Westfalenstadion with a smile and a wave. Addressing Dortmund fans on Twitter on Tuesday morning, he said: “The time has come to close a very beautiful stage in my life. After two wonderful years, I’m ready to leave this club that has given me so much joy.
“From the first moment, the care and attention by the club and the city has been amazing. Now I know that I was right to choose Dortmund as my home two years ago.”
There’s no doubt that Hakimi’s career has benefitted massively from his time in Germany. Having been at Real Madrid from the age of eight, he arrived at BVB in 2018 as a promising teenager with only 17 domestic appearances to his name.
After two seasons in which, barring a spell on the sidelines with a broken metatarsal last year, he has been near ever-present for Dortmund, he is now one of the most exciting young full-backs in Europe.
While Dortmund have fallen short over the last couple of seasons and missed two presentable chances to lift the Meisterschale, Hakimi has been one of their standout performers. A full-back with all the best traits of a winger, he is stupidly versatile. He reads the game well, passes like a playmaker and combines razor-sharp reactions in the final third with tenacity, neat dribbling and natural pace.
Though many expected him to return to Real Madrid come the end of his loan and compete with Dani Carvajal for a starting spot at right-back – Hakimi can also cover on the left and plays further forward on occasion – it now looks like his future lies elsewhere.
Speaking to Sky Italia at the weekend, Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta confirmed that the club was in “advanced negotiations” with Real Madrid over a transfer. Assuming that Inter can get the deal done, other clubs will have a right to feel jealous.
Gracias @BVB ???????? Thanks @BVB ???????? pic.twitter.com/nCVth0Gf6R
— achrafhakimi (@AchrafHakimi) June 30, 2020
Premier League clubs miss a trick
While Dortmund’s back line has often been overexposed over the last couple of seasons – down in no small part to Lucien Favre’s heavily frontloaded set-up – Hakimi has been one of their more dynamic defenders.
Whether as a wing-back in a back five or a right-back in a back four, he is one of the few players with the requisite speed to balance all-out attack with snap covering runs when his side lose possession.
It’s Hakimi’s attacking numbers which tell the real story, however. He has five goals and 10 assists in the Bundesliga alone this term, statistics to rival most out-and-out wingers.
His goal tally rises to nine in all competitions thanks to four strikes in the Champions League. Two of those came in Dortmund’s 3-2 win against Inter in November, both after lightning-fast runs in behind the defence.
He wasn’t to know that it was an audition of sorts but he left a lasting impression on Antonio Conte, clearly.
Having deployed Victor Moses, Ashley Young and Antonio Candreva at right wing-back with varying degrees of effectiveness over the second half of the season, Conte could do with an upgrade and Hakimi certainly fits the bill.
Now 21, Hakimi has the ideal mix of youth and experience. Having made his senior debut for Morocco when he was still turning out for Real Madrid Castilla, he is a mainstay at international level and played every minute of their last World Cup campaign at only 19.
Unsurprisingly, Inter are not the only side credited with a long-running interest in him. Manchester City have been widely linked over the last few months and, given his technical ability and in-game intelligence, he would have made a textbook Guardiola player. Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham were all bandied about as potential destinations and, with ESPN reporting that he will move to Inter for around €40m (£36.5m) plus add-ons, a move would not have been beyond the realms of possibility even in football’s upturned financial landscape. It’s hard not to feel as if Premier League clubs have missed a trick.
Conte has a strong track record when it comes to unlocking the potential in attacking wing-backs, not least given the way he used Moses and Marcos Alonso during his title-winning season at Chelsea. That may have made Inter a uniquely attractive option for Hakimi, while their recruitment over the last couple of seasons suggests they are going all out to challenge Juventus’ domestic dominance. While Hakimi looks set to make Italy his home for the next few seasons, he would have been an astute signing for any side in England. As things stand, the Premier League’s loss is Serie A’s gain.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2ZgiFw0
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