Barcelona is close to completing amazing Ajax RB signing in Mazaraoui in Summer 2022
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The Xavi dream of getting the deal for Ajax’s Noussair Mazraoui is reportedly about to be completed. Mazraoui apparently had many other offers on the table for his services this summer but has decided he wants to make Camp Nou his home. Now, all that’s left is to finalize some of the details and get the deal signed.
It’s thought he will either sign on for three or four years and that Barca could even still move for Cesar Azpilicueta as well. The Catalans are “waiting to see” what happens with the Chelsea skipper.
No one should doubt that the recent Barcelona performances being so positive have played a role in Mazraoui’s decision. Barca of course has the grandeur club imagery, but seeing Xavi and the team put together some positive football as of late has to make decisions a bit easier. The 24-year-old has enjoyed his best season to date in Amsterdam this term, registering five goals and four assists. His displays helped Erik ten Hag’s sides win each of their Champions League group-stage games, as well soar to the top of the Eredivisie table.
Mazraoui’s contract expires at the end of the season with some of Europe’s top clubs expressing their interest in recent times. According to SPORT, Barça has now won the race for his signature though, beating off competition from Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Leeds, and Milan.
Xavi has long been interested in strengthening at right-back and rifled through his old contacts book to sign Dani Alves on a free transfer shortly after taking over.
Who is Noussair Mazaraoui?
Mazraoui grew up in Alphen aan de Rijn and started playing for local club AVV Alphen at age 4. He moved to Alphense Boys three years later, where he only played for a year before being invited to play in the youth academy of Ajax. He made his professional debut with Jong Ajax on 12 August 2016 in an Eerste Divisie game against Almere City, replacing Richairo Živković after 86 minutes. On 25 October 2020, Mazraoui scored his first professional goal in a 3-1 victory against FC Midtjylland in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League. He scored his first league goal in a 5-0 win against NEC Nijmegen.
His style of play
As a full-back in a free-flowing attacking unit, Mazraoui is tasked with getting forward often. The defender is quite good at positioning himself well in the second third to help Ajax maintain good spacing and passing options. Mazraoui is comfortable charging high and wide on the right when the ball is being rotated, but he’s also good at coming inside and linking play centrally.
With the ball out wide, Noussair Mazraoui can dribble into space and send in whipping crosses at a pretty decent rate. He’s not phenomenal at getting past defenders, such as Real Madrid’s Marcelo or Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, but he can take advantage of space created by others.
Noussair Mazraoui passes the eye test when looking for an adequate Ajax full-back. But when looking at the statistics, we see that the lanky defender could do with some improvement. His defensive success rates are not very high, and thus far has been outshined by the likes of Jerry St. Juste and Jonas Svensson in terms of passing success in 21-22.
Mazraoui is a great player, and the fact that Ajax developed him themselves makes his presence all the better. Joel Veltman received a lot of criticism over the past couple of years and his injury has — for better or for worse — opened the gate for another player to change the dynamic of play on the right-wing. Noussair Mazraoui has proven to be an adequate stand-in, but if Ajax is to advance past the group stages in the Champions League there will need to be some improvements to his game.
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Aryan Sharma
(95 Articles Published)