Lille striker Olivier Giroud has delivered a glowing verdict on teammate Ayyoub Bouaddi ahead of his potential move to Man City.
Speaking to the BBC, the former Arsenal and Chelsea star said that some have likened the Moroccan to other midfielders, but he sees the most similarities with N’Golo Kante:
“He’s calm, confident, staying himself! I was talking with some friends, and they sent some pictures: Patrick Vieira and Sergio Busquets. They said he’s a mix of both!”
“He’s not yet as good as Sergio Busquets technically, but still he’s got some skills. Maybe a lack of power to compare with Patrick. He will get stronger and bigger, but he’s a complete player, very versatile; he’s all over the place, a bit like N’Golo [Kante].”
“The only thing he should improve, and he has to improve, and he knows it because we’ve been teasing him a lot about that this year, is his finishing, being more aggressive in front of goal.”
Bouaddi is receiving major plaudits
Giroud is certainly well positioned to compare Bouaddi and Kante, having played with the former for just over a year, while spending time with the latter at Chelsea, as well as being his teammate for France.
Bouaddi undoubtedly has a big future ahead of him, but he is still only 18 years of age, and there are concerns that his eye-watering asking price (€100m/£85.5m) could weigh heavily upon him.
Can he replace Rodri at Man City?
It appears as if the former Ballon d’Or winner will complete a move to Barcelona over the coming days. The La Liga champions are expected to pay €60m (£51.3m) up front, with another €11m (£9.4m) in performance-related add-ons.
They are big boots to fill, and Bouaddi will be under pressure to perform well straight away if his transfer to the Etihad is finalised. Following the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield, head coach Enzo Maresca will be keen to get fresh faces in before the transfer window shuts.