Aspiring Striker Sought by Erik ten Hag for a £34 million Transfer to Manchester United, but Currently Valued Below £8.5 Million - A Potential Evasion of Significant Financial Risk
Football Gossip:
It seems that ManUtd dodged a (potentially expensive) bullet regarding Ajax striker, Brian Brobbey. Rumors swirled about Ten Hag, former ManUtd gaffer who was shown the exit door in October, aiming to bring Brobbey to Old Trafford in a £34m deal.
But thank goodness for Manchester fans, United's pockets are spared! Instead, the 23-year-old is currently valued at a mere £8.5m, according to Dutch journalist Valentijn Driessen.
Brobbey had played under Ten Hag at Ajax and would have been his fourth signing from the Eredivisie after Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, and Antony. Many of Ten Hag's transfer choices have underperformed during his two-year spell at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag's alleged interest in Brobbey dates back to last January, and he was also reportedly on the shortlist the previous summer. However, it seems the deal never happened, leaving fans (and the club's accountant) breathing a sigh of relief.
Brobbey turned down a move to ManUtd in 2022 after receiving a personal phone call from Ten Hag. Speaking to De Telegraaf, the player said, "Erik ten Hag called me and said that at United, my agent would get millions of euros and I could earn a multiple of my Ajax salary. But our decision was clear: we wanted to go to Ajax."
Brobbey joined Ajax's academy at eight years old before moving to RB Leipzig in 2021. He returned to Ajax on loan in December 2021 and made a significant impact, prompting Ajax to re-sign him on a permanent basis in July 2022.
The 2023-24 season was particularly fruitful for Brobbey, as he scored 22 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions. However, his form has dipped this season, scoring just seven goals in 42 games this season. Despite this slump, Brobbey was included in the Netherlands' squad for Euro 2024.
As for Manchester United, Rubem Amorim replaced Ten Hag in November, but the team remains in 14th in the Premier League. The club's spending spree under Ten Hag included more than £600million on 16 signings, with many of the new recruits failing to live up to expectations.
- Despite Erik ten Hag's interest in reuniting with striker Brian Brobbey at Manchester United, the deal largely failed to materialize, saving United's pockets from a £34m transfer fee.
- Brobbey's salary at Ajax would have been dwarfed if he had agreed to join United, as Ten Hag reportedly promised his agent millions of euros.
- In the European-leagues landscape, Ten Hag's transfer choices during his two-year tenure at Manchester United have been largely criticized, with many underperforming players acquired from the Dutch Eredivisie.
- Post-Ten Hag's exit, United's new manager, Rubem Amorim, took the helm in November, but the team's performance remains subpar in the Premier League, holding onto the 14th position.
- After a successful 2023-24 season that saw him score 22 goals in 43 appearances, Brobbey's form took a dip during the current season,tplacing just seven goals in 42 games, but he still managed to secure a spot in the Netherlands' squad for Euro 2024.
