Manchester City’s new signing Ayyoub Bouaddi has moved to manage expectations at the Etihad, insisting fans should not expect him to be a prolific goalscorer despite his hefty price tag.
The 18-year-old Morocco international completed a five-year move from Lille this week in a deal worth up to £86m, making him the most expensive teenage signing in Premier League history.
But speaking after his arrival, Bouaddi was quick to define his role in Enzo Maresca‘s rebuilt midfield — and it is not as a goal machine.
“Not going to score 20 goals a season”
Asked about the number he wears and the responsibility that comes with a nine-figure fee, Bouaddi was refreshingly direct about what supporters should expect from him as a holding midfielder.
“I’m a player who plays for the team. I’m a really collective player. I try to put my teammate in the best position and give everything every time for the team,” he said, before addressing the goalscoring question head-on.
“I think the most important aspect is to try to balance the team, help teammates. We know as a No.6 you’re not going to score 20 goals a season; it can happen but it’s quite rare. So you have to balance the team and do everything for the team and do your job.”
It is a mature assessment from a player who only turned 18 this year but already has close to 100 senior appearances for Lille, having made his professional debut at 16 years and three days old — a club record.
Bouaddi impressed for Morocco at this summer’s World Cup, where his composure at the base of midfield against Brazil caught the eye of scouts across Europe, including Arsenal and Manchester United, both of whom were also chasing his signature before City won the race.
Eyes on the future under Maresca
Bouaddi, quoted on the club’s official website, also spoke about his conversations with City’s hierarchy and new head coach Enzo Maresca, who has overseen a significant overhaul of the midfield since replacing Pep Guardiola at the Etihad.
“We discussed a lot of things and the future also because this is why I’m here – for the future. We know in the great club we need to win. We are going to see what’s going to happen,” he said.
“What’s important is I’m going to give 100%, be always here for the team and then it’s the future.
“I think here the most important is to win. In a big club you need to win and this is all we’re going to do. We’re going to give 100% to achieve all of our goals.”
His arrival forms part of a busy summer of midfield reconstruction at City following Rodri’s departure to Barcelona and Bernardo Silva’s exit to Real Madrid.
Maresca had already broken the club’s transfer record to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116m before turning his attention to Bouaddi, whose deal is structured as a £81.3m fixed fee plus £4.3m in add-ons.
Yet Bouaddi’s signing has not ended City’s business in the market.
According to reports from the Guardian and Sky Sports, the club remain in pursuit of Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, with Maresca keen to reunite with a player he coached — and made captain — during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are said to be holding out for around £120m, a figure Manchester City are reportedly reluctant to meet in full, though talks are understood to be progressing as the transfer window nears its close.
Should that deal materialise, it would give Maresca two contrasting profiles at the base of his midfield.
Bouaddi’s calm distribution and defensive discipline alongside Fernandez’s dynamism and eye for a forward pass — with Anderson offering additional legs and ball-winning further forward.
