Wout Weghorst to Manchester United: Deal approved – here’s what he offers

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He may not be a big name, but Manchester United will end up with a big man as their new striker this month.

Athletic first reported on Saturday night that the club had held exploratory talks with Championship neighbors Burnley over the inclusion of Wott Wieghurst on loan until the end of the season. This morning United agreed a deal.

Turkey’s Besiktas, where Wieghurst was on loan, will receive £2.5m compensation from United for prematurely ending the 30-year-old striker’s spell.

Besiktas will receive the payment directly from United rather than main club Weghorst from Burnley.

The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in November increased United’s need to recruit a new striker, with them lacking options to provide competition for Anthony Martial and requiring more scoring options.

United had at one point considered Wieghorst’s Dutch teammate Cody Gakbo a real target before moving to Liverpool last week for 37 million pounds ($44.7 million), but budget constraints have left them having to scout the loan market to find an alternative. for ronaldo. There are no permanent options under evaluation at this time, even at a low cost.

The deal was complicated, because Weghorst had gone on loan to Besiktas, who had a €10m option-to-buy clause for the striker, following Burnley’s relegation to the Football League at the end of last season.

Weghorst has been pressing for a move to United and the chance to return to England and the Premier League as he feels he has yet to finish after a disappointing six months at Turf Moor after signing last January from Germany’s Wolfsburg.

His apparent farewell celebration to the Besiktas fans following his goal against Kasimpasa fueled the feeling that he was ready to go elsewhere.

🦅 Wout Weghorst shared his joy at the goal with his fans! #OlmazsanOlmaz pic.twitter.com/fELcv2D0Yc

– beIN SPORTS Turkey (@beINSPORTS_TR) January 7, 2023

However, this has required Burnley and Besiktas to agree to annul the existing loan agreement, allowing the Championship club to now call up the striker, paving the way for United to take him on loan.

The Dutchman scored nine goals in 18 appearances for the Istanbul side, who were expecting to honor his summer contract and spend the season with them. They did not welcome this proposed disruption to their plans and wanted compensation if they were to help with the deal to take him to Old Trafford.

Weghorst was initially one of a number of names considered, with several strikers pursued including compatriot and old United boy Memphis Depay, but Bayern Munich’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Vincent Aboubakar are now Ronaldo’s team mates at Saudi club Al Ain. . Nasr, they did not pursue. Abubakar is now set to replace Wighorst at Besiktas.

The 30-year-old Weghorst wasn’t discussed by United in the summer when they were scouring the striker market; Even when several of them have been suggested, including former Stoke and West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic. Instead, deals have been explored for the likes of Alvaro Morata, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Depay and Mauro Icardi among others.

On the surface, that sounds like an odd choice, but Weghorst, who caught the world’s eye last month after scoring twice in seven minutes off the bench against Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals, especially finishing with a clever free-kick, is the player of United manager and fellow Dutchman Erik Ten. agitated

Any excuse to watch Wout Weghorst’s goal against Argentina in the World Cup again…

BBCSport pic.twitter.com/Xn51VBPdU1

– Athlete | Football (TheAthleticFC) January 7, 2023

The new United manager is open to the potential deal and is very close to Louis van Gaal, who captained Wighurst at international level during the World Cup. He is stylistically different from anything the club currently owns, and at 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) in height, he offers an alternative way of playing if there is a need to go more direct.

The chase follows Holland-centric Ten Hag’s transfer approach since arriving from Amsterdam heavyweight Ajax in the summer. He and Weghorst hail from the same part of their homeland, Twente, and speak the same dialect.

The striker is seen as a calm and relaxed figure off the pitch, but is highly competitive and isn’t afraid to share his thoughts with his teammates if he feels they aren’t pulling his weight. He has a desire to improve, closely studying his game. During his first weeks at Burnley he was known to send late-night messages to his teammates about how partnerships could be improved.

There is passion, tenacity, and intensity in his play, evidenced by his pressing, relentless numbers.

At Wolfsburg he prided himself on being one of the best players at the club, regularly topping the mileage statistics.

At Burnley he also impressed with his physique and fitness levels. Against Wolves last April, Wighurst recorded 57 pressures – the most by a player in a single Premier League match that season.

After the £25m sale of Chris Wood to relegation rivals Newcastle, Burnley have identified Wieghurst as the man to replace the New Zealand international after tracking him down for a while, hoping his goals can lead to safety. They exited the deal feeling they had promoted Wood for half the price Newcastle paid to acquire him, due to Weghorst’s wider skill set.

Not only did his goalscoring whet the appetite, Burnley wowed with his positional intelligence and ability to drop between the lines to link play and create. It also epitomizes the cliche “good feet to a big man”.

Wighorst showed signs of his ability against United in his second appearance for Burnley after arriving in January. His brilliant conversion away from both Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay featured in the build-up to the equalizer in the 1-1 draw.

His subsequent perfect pass to Jay Rodriguez confirmed his quality.

The problem was that those study moments were few and far between. He continued to impress at the start, scoring his first Burnley goal in a 3-0 win over Brighton in mid-February, but his influence slowly began to fade.

His touch and pressure decreased and there was a sense that he was too focused on the team rather than on being the best version of himself.

Burnley’s service to Weghorst was not for him. Wood was a player willing to drive the channels and dominant in the air, but the Dutchman proved otherwise, struggling in the air for a player of his size in open play who preferred the ball to his feet, as he enjoyed dropping into pockets of space to receive the ball. and connect play.

He began cutting a frustrated figure around the training ground because of his special form. There were suggestions that he clashed with his teammates over his self-confidence, which some considered bordering on arrogance.

This aspect of him appeared in a confrontation with Lionel Messi at the World Cup, where he refused to back down even in front of a player of the Argentine’s stature in the world match.

United do not be put off by it. They want players with personality, and feel the striker would fit in better at Old Trafford than in 45 minutes on the road at Turf Moor.

Weghorst teased Messi during and after the World Cup match (Photo: ANP via Getty Images)

There was a brief revival when Sean Dyche was sacked in early April and replaced by assistant Mike Jackson as he scored his second and final Burnley goal in a 1-1 draw with West Ham and provided the assist a week later in a 1-0 win over Wolves. His struggles resurfaced and he finished the season on the bench, with Ashley Barnes preferred in the starting line-up.

His six months at Burnley will forever be defined by his injury-time failure against Aston Villa in the penultimate game of the season. With goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez – another member of Argentina’s World Cup-winning side – out of the equation and with a goal gap, Weghorst only had to avoid blocking Tyrone Mings’ scoring attempt. It failed and Burnley lost two valuable points. A week later, their landing was confirmed.

He didn’t leave on the best of terms either, having publicly declared that he wanted to leave Burnley rather than play for them in the Premier League. Indeed, there was an agreement between the player and the club when he signed that if Burnley did not stay up he would be allowed to leave, keeping alive his hopes of a World Cup selection.

Six months nowhere should define a player, and Weghorst’s record in Germany before he came to England was quite impressive, with only Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski scoring more goals than him from the start of the 2018-19 season until his exit.

According to Squawka Media, Wighorst has the highest expected goals, most shots, most shots on goal and had the most touches in the penalty area this season in the Turkish Super League.

He can score all kinds of goals. He’s a handful who is comfortable receiving the ball and linking play, while he’s a huge threat in the penalty area both in the air and with his feet when serving, which wasn’t always the case at Burnley. He can fill in defenders and create space for others around him with his movement.

Using data from smarterscout, we can research what kind of player United would get if he joined – and see that there have been significant improvements in his game this season compared to his spell at Burnley.

Smarterscout data ranks players from zero to 99 depending on how often they perform a certain action. It also tells us how effective they are in it compared to others in their position.

First, his pizza chart from the half-season with Burnley illustrates what was discussed above:

Playing as the spearhead in Burnley’s attack, Weghorst frequently played shorter passes to connect plays (95 out of 99) and was able to keep possession at an above average level (57 out of 99), even in a struggling team.

His Defensive Intensity Rating, which shows how often a player is the most relevant defender when his team is out of possession, highlights his desire to press and be an active defender, but he struggled to do so as effectively as his Defensive Impact, which shows how well, if he is. The player prevents the opponent from advancing with the ball (five out of 99), it is too low.

Compare this pizza chart with this season’s chart with Besiktas, and a lot has changed:

The standout feature here is Weghorst’s high number of receptions in the area (maximum 99 out of 99), a significant increase in Burnley’s rating for that metric. Playing in a team that is expected to be the dominant force in matches makes a difference, as Burnley did not dominate possession and attack opponents regularly.

Weghorst also shoots more (shot size: 50 out of 99) and is able to contribute to his team’s ball progression (42 out of 99) and to his team’s chances (xG from shot creation: 40 out of 99).

The latter rating has fallen from his time at Burnley, but this is most likely due to his role in possession, as link-up play volume has dropped significantly (36 out of 99). He favors progressive passes (53 out of 99), which is defined as extending more than 10 yards, and as a result, his ball retention has decreased (28 out of 99).

Defensively, he also became more effective.

His defensive intensity is almost identical but his defensive effect jumps to 61 out of 99, which means he is better at preventing opponents from advancing the ball. This is evidenced by his excellent ability to disrupt opponents’ movements (86 out of 99) by blocking passing lanes and winning back possession.

Weghorst has been at the forefront of his attacks this season and has been powerful from open plays and heading off set-pieces as well as being difficult to move off the ball when dribbling.

The big question is exactly how United will adapt their system to integrate Weghorst, but a deal that will see him at Old Trafford has now been agreed.

(Additional reporting: Adam Leventhal)

(Top photo: Seskim Photo/MB Media/Getty Images)

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