A shooting star. Revealed at a very young age in the FC Barcelona jersey, Ansu Fati was considered the new star of the Blaugrana club. Under the wing of Lionel Messi, whose brother was the young crack’s agent, the Spaniard shone before suffering a series of injuries and disappointments. The player, who joined Jorge Mendes’ team in 2020, wanted to win this season under Xavi’s orders. But that was not the plan of his coach, nor of his club. Ansu, however, resisted for a very long time, convinced that he could be a potential starter.
A complicated divorce with Barça
But a media outing from Xavi changed everything. After the Gamper Trophy last August, he confided about his player: “Ansu Fati? We’ll see. There is plenty of time left before August 31. I can’t say anything, it depends a lot on financial fair play.” An outing which shocked the footballer and his loved ones. They took it as a big lack of respect and an invitation to leave. The message was received by the Spanish international. Approached by several teams, he surprised many people by joining Brighton on loan. A choice that he accepted and explained.
“I spoke with the coach first and he told me he had full confidence in me and told me what he thought of me. That was a key factor in coming here. He was the main person who convinced me. I think that was the key (…) I really liked the Premier League and Brighton was one of the clubs I followed the most. I knew it was a club which had grown in recent seasons and which had progressed very well, even qualifying for Europe this season. Playing under the orders of Roberto De Zerbi therefore tipped the scales for the 20-year-old player.
Mixed beginnings
In England as in Spain, his debut was impatiently awaited. Ansu played his first match in his new colors on September 16 against Manchester United at Old Trafford (3-1 victory). Coming into play for 27 minutes, the native of Bissau continued with his first start against AEK Athens in the Europa League on September 21 (3-2 defeat, 90 minutes played). On Sunday, he came on at half-time against Bournemouth in the league (3-1 victory). Yesterday, he returned to the starting lineup for the League Cup match against Chelsea. Brighton lost 1-0.
The performance of Ansu Fati, who was replaced at the break obviously as a precaution, did not completely convince the English media. THE Sussex Express gave it a rating of 5, adding: “Fantastic chance in the first half but he should have done better. He was taken out at half-time by De Zerbi. But it is especially in Spain that his case has attracted attention. There, we necessarily closely follow the player who still belongs to Barça and who wears the colors of La Roja. His first steps in England are being talked about on the other side of the Pyrenees.
The Spanish press is starting to question itself
Sport writes about him: “he has the blind confidence of De Zerbi, but Ansu Fati must score the goal that frees him. Against Chelsea he had a very clear opportunity against Robert Sánchez, but he missed it. He is expected to be decisive. But it hasn’t come yet. “Physically he is doing well, the style of play is the one that suits him best and De Zerbi has brought him closer to the area to make him even more decisive. Only time should allow the young Barça player to savor the success of the goal again. We’ll see when it arrives. Brighton needs him…”adds the Catalan media.
The player brings his creativity and danger, even if he still has to find automatisms with his teammates. A.S. believes he must do better. “Ansu Fati did not enter the field in the second half. The Italian coach replaced him at the break after another poor performance from the Spanish international.” With 0 goals and assists in 4 appearances in all competitions, Ansu Fati is going through a period of drought, having not found the net since last June. If we count the national and club matches (Barça and Brighton), he has not scored in 9 matches. Despite this, Roberto De Zerbi believes in him. The player, who has not impressed, wants to show him that he can have confidence. At 20 years old, he still has time to prove to everyone that he is not a shooting star.
