One done, how many more to come??
At the time of writing, Manchester United have officially unveiled Joshua Zirkzee as their first summer signing.
With Leny Yoro set to put pen to paper imminently and Matthis de Ligt waiting for the green light, it looks like United have completely re-thought their approach to the transfer market. We seem to be walking away from over-inflated fees and wages, instead targeting multiple different players that fit the profiles we’re after – a welcome change.
We’ve sold Willy Kambwala, Mason Greenwood looks to be on the verge of leaving and there has been concrete interest in players like Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Scott McTominay, with Casemiro expected to eventually move to Saudi for big money.
We’ll continue the series by looking at the man United have actually signed, and could well make up United’s new core. That man is Joshua Zirkzee
Joshua Zirkzee
No longer just a target – Joshua Zirkzee has signed his contract
Position: Forward
Previous club: Bologna
Nationality: Dutch
Age: 23
Height: 6’4″
Transfer Fee: £36.5m
Domestic appearances 23/24: 37
Goals/assists 23/24: 12/7
Profile
Zirkzee joined Bologna from Bayern, where he won the Bundesliga and Champions League, despite only making 17 appearances for the German giants.
He then enjoyed a decent loan spell at Belgian side Anderlecht, netting 18 times in 47 appearances. After that came a permanent move to Italian side Bologna, where he made 19 appearances in his first season, and 34 in his second, contributing a total of 14 goals and helping Bologna to an excellent fifth-place finish ahead of the likes of Roma, Lazio, Fiorentina and then-champions Napoli.
At United
Zirkzee is an interesting player with an unusual profile, and has even been called a ‘unicorn’ by some.
He’s not yet a very prolific goalscorer, but Zirkzee has composure, creativity, high match IQ and other positive attributes.
You may be thinking ‘6’4″, big physical presence in the box – classic 9′, but Zirkzee is a different kind of striker. He doesn’t actually take that many touches in the penalty area compared to other forwards, and heading is not his strength, preferring the ball played to feet.
Where he really excels is in his build-up play and the chances he creates, something which Ten Hag might think would pair well with Rasmus Hojlund, a more out-and-out number 9 who was often starved of service last season. Zirkzee’s heading is relatively poor, but his passing, ball progression, shot-creating actions and successful take-ons are all close to the elite category, and he is in the 80th percentile or better for most of these important attacking stats amongst forwards:
Zirkzee works hard in defence, with excellent stats for blocks, tackles and clearances. At 6’4″, you’d think that with some more coaching and experience his heading would improve too.
He’s a player that is highly involved in play in all areas of the pitch, which suggests a hard worker that can fit into different systems and have an impact.
Zirkzee had a couple of minor hamstring injuries towards the back end of last season, missing a handful of league games, but he hasn’t been particularly injury-prone.
We know from last season that United have the potential to pick up injuries and need players that can fill in and do a job.
Joshua Zirkzee is a versatile player that can lead the line, play as a 10 and maybe even fill in as an attacking midfielder. He is highly involved in build-up play and whilst he didn’t get that many assists, his ability to have a hand in creating chances is high, and he’s a hard-working player defensively too.
The Verdict
Zirkzee could be a great signing for United at a very reasonable price.
A young player with obvious shortcomings; he will benefit greatly from the new United coaching structure, particularly Ruud Van Nistelrooy. His natural ability as a technical playmaker with great composure, passing, decision-making and dribbling should go a long way to creating chances for the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, should they both start.
It’s a really positive first signing for United, and by the time you read this, probably won’t be the only one of our new core that has signed the contract. Exciting times ahead!