Ex-Man Utd target tipped for ‘big money’ Premier League move after Koeman criticism
Daniel Cabot Kerkdijk
- 11 Nov 2023 04:01 CST
- 3 min read
Ajax striker Brian Brobbey has been tipped to leave the Eredivisie side for a “big money” transfer to the Premier League.
Respected pundit Mike Verweij expects Brobbey to leave the struggling Eredivisie giants in the future for a substantial sum, despite returning just five goals in 16 matches for the Amsterdam club so far this season.
The 21-year-old attacker was in the news last week because Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman criticised his finishing.
"We had him with the Dutch team during the previous international break. We were shooting and you saw that his first touch and the way he finished was not good," Koeman told Ziggo Sport in a surprising attack.
We were shooting and you saw that his first touch and the way he finished was not good
- Ronald KoemanIn Verweij's view, though, Ajax have struck gold with Brobbey and the club will make a significant profit on the €16 million they spent in 2022 to sign him from RB Leipzig when he is ultimately sold.
“Koeman talked about the fact that his finishing is not good,” Verweij said in De Telegraaf 's football podcast Kick-Off . “On the other hand, during the period for RB Leipzig he only needed an average of 53 minutes to score a goal. Everything he got in front of him during that time was spot on, but he was also really important for Ajax in the early days when he returned from Leipzig.”
“Look, he is now going through a difficult period and I think that a ball that hit the inside of the post (against Brighton & Hove Albion, ed.) is illustrative of the phase he is in now. But it's not that he suddenly can't do it anymore - previously, almost every opportunity was scored.
“All the English defenders and also manager Roberto De Zerbi said afterwards that Brobbey is a great striker.”
Verweij thinks that Brobbey, who turns 22 in February, has a great future.
“He makes a big impression with his strength. I really think that there will be English clubs that will pay a lot for him,” he said.
Brobbey's tally in Ajax's kit stands at 32 goals in 92 official matches. However, he only played 4270 minutes. That amounts to an average of one goal every 133 minutes.
