Ten Hag threatens to repeat Antony mistake with latest Man Utd target

Tom Weber

• Updated: 28 Dec 2023 12:46 GMT
• 4 min read

Just like last summer, PSV's Johan Bakayoko has appeared on the radar of Premier League clubs.

While clubs such as Brentford and Burnley were eager to secure his arrival last summer, it is now Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United who are keen. Yet there is one transfer that Bakayoko must immediately get out of his head.

Bakayoko is having an excellent first half of the season for PSV. The nine-time Belgian international has already scored three goals and notched eight assists in all competitions, starting five games in Europe and managing to score once.

The achievements of Bakayoko, who is still contracted to the Eindhoven club until 2026, have not gone unnoticed in England, where they also tried to prise the winger from PSV last summer. Last summer, the 20-year-old attacker preferred a longer stay at PSV over a move to Burnley or Brentford.

Now that the coming transfer period involves clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool, it will become a lot more difficult for Bakayoko to say 'no' to these Premier League clubs.

Not moving too early

One of the reasons Bakayoko decided to remain loyal to PSV last summer was the image that head coach Peter Bosz painted: "Justin Kluivert is the best example," Bosz recently said in an interview with The Athletic. "He was 17 when he played under me at Ajax and left too early."

"Sometimes players have to be patient. I had that conversation with Bakayoko. I said to him: 'If you leave now, you will be seen as the little Belgian player who came from PSV. If you win titles with us, perform in the Champions League and play for the Belgian national team, then things will be different."

Bakayoko agrees and seems to want to finish the season in Eindhoven: “I want to become champion with PSV,” he emphatically told the Eindhovens Dagblad. “That is my dream and what I want to work towards in my plans.”

"I won't deviate from that. Not one millimetre." The attacker knows that the international top clubs are lining up, but is not interested in that: “This is my dream club, where I play now. PSV has always believed in me, that was my feeling from the first contact with the club.”

Manchester United

If Bakayoko decides to leave PSV, the attacker must avoid a transfer to Manchester United at all costs. SciSports' Career Advice Tool shows that the Belgian will hardly get around to playing under Erik ten Hag, despite the fact that he seems to fit in well with the coach's philosophy.

Ten Hag already has two players at his disposal, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho, who can function as right-wingers. Although Garnacho is originally a left-winger, Ten Hag preferred him to Antony on the right flank against Aston Villa and the youngster notched more goals in that game than his Brazilian counterpart has all season.

Since Bakayoko will hardly be able to play in Manchester, such a move could be disastrous for his career. A transfer to Liverpool seems to be the best solution. The Belgian attacker may not immediately be able to claim a starting spot, but that could change once Mohamed Salah leaves the Reds.

Since there seems to be a good chance of this happening in 2024, given that the Egyptian is being heavily courted by clubs from Saudi Arabia, a transfer to Liverpool should be worth considering for Bakayoko, who has been repeatedly linked with a switch to Merseyside.