Signed for €95M, Bouaddi struggles to find playing time at Manchester City

Ayyoub Bouaddi left Lille for Manchester City for €95 million excluding bonuses, a record transfer fee for LOSC. But at 18, the Moroccan midfielder is struggling to establish himself in the Citizens’ squad: in his first two Premier League appearances, at Crystal Palace and against Coventry, he accumulated just 22 minutes of play coming off the bench.

The competition is fierce. This summer, Manchester City invested €526.2 million to strengthen their squad, with €280 million spent solely in midfield: €145 million for Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea and €135 million for Elliot Anderson, taken from Nottingham Forest. Two recruits who occupy roughly the same role as Bouaddi and are directly overshadowing him.

Former pundit Pierre Ménès makes no secret of his skepticism. “I don’t see why Manchester City spent 100 million for a guy who, apparently, won’t play that much anyway. Once again, I think 100 million for Bouaddi is nonsense,” he said in his column Face à Pierrot. He notably points to the presence of Enzo Fernandez: “It’s clear that Enzo Fernandez is the big signing. And even in a very different style, he still plays in the same position as Bouaddi, so I’m a bit worried for the young Moroccan.”

The situation is not unprecedented for a young talent arriving at a club of this caliber: establishing himself at City requires time and consistency. Bouaddi will need to be patient before he can aspire to a starting role in one of Europe’s most stacked squads.