At 11pm UK time on June 13, Ayyoub Bouaddi was nowhere near the radar of most football fans. Two hours later, the world was talking about him
In their opening game of the World Cup, Morocco had just drawn 1-1 with five-times winners Brazil and on his fourth international appearance, Bouaddi had strolled around MetLife Stadium as though he owned it, leaving Champions League winners Casemiro and Fabinho chasing shadows.
He does not turn 19 until October, but already he has Scotland trembling in their boots ahead of their clash on Friday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
No wonder last season’s Champions League finalists Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are competing for him, along with perennial player collectors Chelsea. Now Lille – one of Europe’s smartest transfer operators – are demanding up to £80million.
Yet what would these wealthy clubs be getting for their money? As brightly as Bouaddi shone against Brazil, he is not the finished article.
Daily Mail Sport has spoken to scouts and agents who have followed Bouaddi’s progress to assess how he might perform in the Premier League.
Last season’s Champions League finalists Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are keen on Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, who shone against Brazil, but Lille would ask £80million for him
Midfielder Bouaddi strolled around MetLife Stadium as though he owned it, leaving Brazil chasing shadows
What’s the fuss about?
Bouaddi is so fascinating because in this ultra-physical, ultra-athletic era of Premier League football, he ticks very few of those boxes. He is neither particularly quick nor especially powerful and while he does not lack mobility, he is certainly no ground-eater like many scouting profiles adored by English clubs.
Yet those who have been following him for some time know to overlook this.
‘I remember seeing him at a youth tournament in France in 2022 – he was only 14 but was playing with the Under 17s,’ recalls Oliver Dürr Dehnhardt, head of football strategy at the Eyeball international scouting platform. ‘He was tall, very skinny and really not very fast. All the things that you normally look for physically in a player were not there.
‘But wow, was he good on the ball – and, more remarkably, off the ball. I think he ran about half the distance everyone else did but made up for it by being smarter than them all. It was exceptional.’
Bouaddi showed those qualities against Brazil. Morocco’s game went through him and, as well as touching the ball 87 times, he also recovered it six times.
‘His body composition is not very explosive, but that’s why his brain is so important,’ adds Dehnhardt. ‘Compared to the types of players we see coming through these days, he is rare.’
‘He ran half the distance everyone else did but made up for it by being smarter than them all,’ says Oliver Dürr Dehnhardt, head of strategy at the Eyeball international scouting platform
Bouaddi does not turn 19 until October, but already he has Scotland trembling in their boots ahead of their clash on Friday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Who does he compare to?
Though Bouaddi is taller and moves differently, his style is very similar to that of Frenkie de Jong, particularly when the Dutchman made his name in the outstanding Ajax team that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
Even though Barcelona were willing to sell De Jong several times to ease their financial worries, notably to Manchester United under Erik ten Hag, he stayed and has proved his worth as a key member of Hansi Flick’s squad.
Like the young De Jong, Bouaddi does not have the classic frame of a Premier League midfielder and this is why he might be wiser to move to Spain or France.
To integrate a craftsman like Bouaddi, Arsenal would have to tweak a philosophy that prioritises physical prowess over technical play. The problem is, why do that when Mikel Arteta’s ideas have delivered a Premier League title and a Champions League final? Would Bouaddi play at the base of midfield, with Declan Rice and another player to either side of him? That seems the most logical option.
Arsenal have also been linked with Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, another technical rather than physical central midfielder, suggesting they are not wedded to one style of play.
England should probably hope they do not come up against Morocco later in the tournament as they have often struggled against midfielders like Bouaddi. Andrea Pirlo, Luka Modric and De Jong himself have all outwitted England at previous tournaments.
Bouaddi’s style is similar to that of Frenkie de Jong (above), particularly when the Dutchman made his name in the Ajax team that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019
Barcelona have been following Bouaddi for years but the La Liga champions are forever engaged in financial juggling
Who wants him?
As well as Arsenal, Barcelona have been following Bouaddi for years. There are plenty at Camp Nou who see him as the eventual successor to – you guessed it – De Jong. Yet the La Liga champions are forever engaged in financial juggling and Bouaddi may prove too expensive given the host of clubs chasing his signature.
As for PSG, there has long been talk about Vitinha moving to Real Madrid one day and if he were to do so, Bouaddi looks an ideal replacement. As for Chelsea, it is hard to know what their strategy is as the Blues seem to sign players based on age alone, with little thought to how many they are acquiring or where they will play.
When he led Bayer Leverkusen to a domestic double in 2023-24, Xabi Alonso used a 3-4-2-1 system. If he introduces that at Chelsea, it is difficult to see where Bouaddi might fit in at first.
Playing as part of a two-man central pair in the Premier League is tough, even with Moises Caicedo alongside you. Alonso would likely need to adjust his tactics.
Yet Modric is a good example of what can be achieved. Though the Premier League was different then, Modric looked too lightweight when he joined Tottenham in 2008. Within months, he had settled and by the time he joined Real Madrid in 2012, the Croatian was as good as anyone in England.
Similarly, Jorginho was not quite at Modric’s level but in 2021, he was a key man as Chelsea won the Champions League and Italy won Euro 2020.
As for PSG, there has long been talk about Vitinha moving to Real Madrid one day and if he were to do so, Bouaddi looks an ideal replacement
Where can he improve?
I saw Bouaddi in action for Lille during their Europa League tie against Aston Villa last season – and he did not quite justify the hype.
Though his quality on the ball was evident, Bouaddi seemed to want a fraction of a second too long when he received it. In the second leg at Villa Park, which Unai Emery’s men won 2-0, he was dispossessed four times and won only two of his seven ground duels.
This should not be too much of a worry, though, because intelligent players adapt quickly. After a dozen or so games in England, Bouaddi would adjust to the speed and alter his game accordingly.
‘He needs to work on consistency,’ adds Dehnhardt. ‘He has had multiple top performances in Ligue 1 and in Europe. But sometimes his level drops and as a top midfielder, you can’t do that. But it will come.’
If you judge a midfielder by goals and assists alone, don’t look at Bouaddi. He has yet to score for Lille and has only four assists in three seasons. While those tallies will have to be better, a club would not sign Bouaddi to produce big numbers himself. Instead, he provides the platform for others to improve theirs.
If you judge a midfielder by goals and assists alone, don’t look at Bouaddi. He has yet to score for Lille and has only four assists in three seasons
What else do we need to know about him?
As recently as March 30 Bouaddi was French, in footballing terms, and playing for their Under 21s. Some felt he had an outside chance of breaking into their World Cup squad.
Less than three months later, Bouaddi has four caps for Morocco, the country of his parents. This was no impulsive choice, however.
‘There is a massive push from federations like Morocco to connect with eligible top talents from an early age, to convince them to represent them,’ Dehnhardt explains. ‘At Eyeball we see many federations contacting us to help them find players with dual nationality, even from Under-14 level. We even have a package to assist federations with this.
‘Morocco did great work. They developed the relationship early and could offer him a key role at the World Cup, which France could not. When your chance comes, sometimes you have to take it.’
Bouaddi played for France at youth level but Morocco moved in and offered him a pathway that Les Bleus could not
Bouaddi has a wonderful brain for one so young and could adapt to the Premier League if he were given the chance
There is of course a logjam in France’s midfield that Bouaddi did not have to worry about anymore with Morocco. Aurelien Tchouameni, N’Golo Kante, Adrien Rabiot, Warren Zaire-Emery and Eduardo Camavinga would all be ahead of him in the pecking order.
Like many young players in French football, Bouaddi appears as mature off the pitch as he is on it. With Brigitte Macron, the wife of French president Emmanuel Macron, among the audience, the 15-year-old Bouaddi took part in a public speaking contest, offered to players enrolled in French academies. He has excelled at school, particularly in maths.
‘I wanted to carry on my studies because it allows me to make the most of my free time, and learn,’ Bouaddi has said. ‘It enables me to keep my mind alert.’
With a football brain like his, it is no wonder Bouaddi wants to develop it as best he can. The Premier League is ready for him.
