Bologna: the transformed Joshua Zirkzee puts Italy at his feet

Without a doubt, Bologna will be one of the teams to watch during the second part of the season in Italy. Accustomed to fighting for its survival in the Italian elite, the club based in Emilia-Romagna surprises everyone by occupying the upper echelons of Serie A for two seasons now. Attractive in the championship, the Bolognese have confirmed after 16 days their status as contenders for Europe to the extent that they are temporarily in fifth place in the standings, on the sidelines of the trip to Atalanta Bergamo this Saturday (3:00 p.m.). Of course, we will remember above all the excellent work done by Thiago Motta. At the helm of the Italian team since September 2022, the former Parisian has gradually imposed his influence by equipping himself with a well-oiled collective now renowned for its aggressiveness on the pitch, its incessant counter-pressing and its use of space, all while monopolizing possession of the ball. But lately, another man is causing a sensation in Bologna: Joshua Zirkzee.

Irresistible since the resumption at the beginning of August, the Dutch striker stood out during the round of 16 of the Italian Cup against Inter Milan (2-1) on Wednesday evening. Launched late by his coach, the 22-year-old greatly contributed to the fall of the Milanese ogre, double title holder. At a time when Bologna was fighting to get back into the game following Carlos Augusto’s opening score for the Lombards (92nd) in the first minutes of extra time, the Dutch international Espoir (19 caps, 7 goals) made silence Giuseppe Meazza’s audience by offering the equalizing goal to Sam Beukema (112th). And brilliantly! Upon receiving a corner from the right, number 9 boasted a splendid pigeon wing to serve his teammate in the middle of a forest of opposing legs. A high-class acrobatic gesture of which until now we thought that only Zlatan Ibrahimovic had the secret.

Far from being satisfied, the Batavian did it again four minutes later. On a counter-attack carried out at high speed, he prodigiously erased Francesco Acerbi with a subtle little bridge before launching Dan Ndoye in depth who was content to finish the job (116th). In heaven, Thiago Motta was quick to sing the praises of his protégé, the main architect of the Rossoblù’s qualification for the quarter-finals of the competition. “He is a high quality player. He has a rare profile. He is a young technical, physical and above all very altruistic player. He thinks first of the group then of himself. He has something more. We are happy to have him and he is very happy to be with us. He knows that he must continue his efforts and that he must work to maintain his level. His teammates are also there to allow him to shine.”conceded Thiago Motta when analyzing his evening performance in the mixed zone.

Confirmation season for Joshua Zirkzee?

In line with the Italian’s comments, Marco Di Vaio was in turn rave about the former Bayern Munich player. “For Bologna he is a very important player. We really wanted Joshua Zirkzee because we had seen his talent… The great credit goes to him because it clicked following the departure of Arnautovic. He understood the lesson, what Thiago Motta expected of his players. He made a qualifying jump from a mental point of view because he had already shown his technical-tactical potential in training. Now he takes responsibility.”expressed the sporting director of Bologna on the antennas of Sky Italia. Now involved in 12 Rossoblù goals in 17 appearances in all competitions since the start of the current financial year, Joshua Zirkzee finally seems to demonstrate the extent of his qualities. A good omen for a player announced as a future crack in his debut at Bayern Munich. Trained in Bavaria, the native of Schiedam in the Netherlands has built a fine reputation within the Munich club’s youth teams. Promoted to the first team in 2019, he distinguished himself with several sensational entries before gradually falling into line. Possessed by Anderlecht after an unsuccessful loan to Parma, the Batavian had a notable stint in Belgium. Contributing to the renewed form of the Brussels team, at the time led by Vincent Kompany, he completed the 2021-2022 financial year on a more than honorable note (18 goals, 10 assists in 46 TCC appearances) before returning to the fold.

A short-lived return. Destined to join the rotation of the reigning German champion under the leadership of Julian Nageslmann, Joshua Zirkzee wanted to stand on his own two feet and land in Bologna in the summer of 2022 for a check for €8.5 million. But for his first season in the Italian elite, the Dutchman took time to find his feet. Called upon to replace Marko Arnautovic on the front of the Bolognese attack, the Dutch international Espoir was content with a role of second knife. Experiencing difficulty in getting out of the game and caught up with repeated physical problems, the Batavian only found the net twice in 21 matches. Far from having the expected performance upon his arrival, Joshua Zirkzee was able to take advantage of the Austrian’s departure to make his mark. Transformed, the number 9 of the Rossoblù is one of the revelations of the first half of the season in Italy. In a style that exalts his physical and technical qualities, the 22-year-old knows how to be decisive (8 goals) while participating in the construction of the game (4 assists). Able to keep the ball with his back to goal using his 1.90m height, he does not hesitate to take a break to find himself between the lines and create gaps. In addition, he has admirably found his place within Thiago Motta’s preferential tactical system, the 4-3-3.

Juventus Turin and AC Milan are keeping an eye on him as well as… Bayern Munich!

In all the good moves, Joshua Zirkzee confirms at the highest level and begins to make a name for himself in Italy. And for good reason, the 21-year-old player has a good popularity rating on the other side of the Alps. Monitored by Juventus Turin with the aim of competing with Dusan Vlahovic, far from being unanimous among the Bianconeri, the Dutch striker is in the little papers of AC Milan according to information from Tuttosport. To support Olivier Giroud, who celebrated his 37th birthday on September 30, the Lombard club is looking for a top striker. If the name of Jonathan David comes up repeatedly, the file linked to the Canadian international has taken a turn for the worse due to his mixed performances. Brilliant with the Dogues during the previous year, the Lille player is no longer as decisive as before with the northern team (5 goals in 17 matches in all competitions) to such an extent that Paulo Fonseca did not hesitate to relegate him repeatedly on the bench, preferring Yusuf Yazici. In this sense, the leaders of AC Milan would tend to want to look at the Bologna striker, at the top of his art.

If AC Milan wishes to quickly take action to avoid being overtaken by the competition, the Italian team will have to spend at least €40 million to secure the services of a player under contract with Bologna until June 2026. A tidy sum which could do the business of Bayern Munich according to the information reported from Sports BILD. During his transfer to Italy, the Munich ogre managed to reach an agreement with Bologna to recover 50% of the rights of the native of Schiedam in the event of a future sale (i.e. between €20 and €25 million). By taking care to include a buyout clause as a preamble to his departure to Bologna, Bayern Munich also has a head start over its competitors if it wishes to bring back its former protégé, especially as Thomas Tuchel remains particularly interested in his profile according to our information. For the moment, nothing has been decided yet and the main interested party intends to take advantage of the last two upcoming meetings of the Emilia-Romagna team in the championship, against Atalanta Bergamo this Saturday (3:00 p.m.) then against Udinese on December 30, to end the year 2023 in style before confirming in 2024.