Ansu Fati is blazing in Ligue 1. Six goals in five games with Monaco. A double against Nice, another against Metz coming off the bench. The fastest player to reach five goals in the French championship since 1948. A record which had not changed for seventy-seven years. Loaned by FC Barcelona with a purchase option set at 11 million euros, the Spanish winger seemed to have found his paradise on the Côte d'Azur. The question burned on everyone's lips: was Monaco going to exercise the option? The answer has just come.
A caution that is explained
Sports director Thiago Scuro has decided to procrastinate. No decision immediately. No rushed activation of the purchase option despite the player's exceptional performance. “What matters is to continue to give Ansu the conditions so that he gets playing time and becomes an important and regular player for Monaco,”
he explained during the presentation of new coach Sébastien Pocognoli. “The commercial aspect is not important at the moment. When the time is right, we will make a decision. »
This restraint may be surprising given the statistics, but it reflects a cautious approach. Fati is coming out of several difficult years: a slump at Barcelona, a failed loan at Brighton, repeated injuries. Monaco does not want to rush into a player who has yet to prove his consistency over time. Scuro insists:
“The objective is performance and to keep him on the pitch. » Implied: as long as he has not continued for several months without relapse, nothing will be done.
Spain is watching him
Fati's performances have not escaped the notice of Luis de la Fuente, coach of the Spanish team. “He scored five or six goals, and we evaluated him. Ansu is on the list, and it's interesting,” confided the coach. A return to the selection would be the sign of a real rebirth for the former Barcelona prodigy. But he still has to stay in shape. Monaco, protected by the agreement signed with Barcelona, can afford to wait.
Ansu Fati will therefore have to continue his momentum. The next meeting: Angers, for Pocognoli's first match on the Monaco bench. Monaco also hoped to see the debut of Paul Pogba, but a new injury further postpones his return. For Fati, this is not the time for premature celebrations. It's the game of the transfer window: sometimes, even an achievement is not enough to seal a future.
