Handicapped by injuries at FC Barcelona, Ansu Fati made the choice last summer to temporarily leave Catalonia to gain playing time and regain the level that Blaugrana supporters expected of him upon his departure from La Masia. His new destination? Brighton, a great revelation in the Premier League in recent years and qualified for the first time in its history in the European Cup, with a place in the group stage of the Europa League. A challenge from the other side of England at the height of his talent, somewhat lost due to his capricious physical condition. But for the moment, after two months spent between the Premier League and the C3, the La Roja international (10 caps, 2 goals) has not been absent from the field once, except for the choices of his new coach, Roberto De Zerbi.
After sluggish first steps in the Seagulls jersey, the native of Bissau was able to find the net for the first time at Aston Villa, to save the honor of his family, finally crushed on the Aston Villa lawn. A first achievement which will not have had much impact on the final score, but which will have launched a good dynamic for the 21-year-old striker, who then did it again in Manchester against the Cityzens, only reducing the gap in the score (2-1). We had to wait for the second European Cup to see number 31 finally prove decisive with his break goal at the AMEX Stadium against Ajax (2-0), against whom he then scored a goal and delivered a assist to Simon Adingra – who had served him the offering for the opening score – two weeks later with the same score at the Johan Cruyff Arena (2-0).
Good news for Barça
4 goals and 1 assist in 12 matches in all competitions (5 as a starter), the record is not great at this stage of the season but it confirms Ansu Fati’s renewed form at Brighton. For comparison, he already has a personal record equal to and even higher than the Barça attackers except Robert Lewandowski (Torres and Felix with 3 goals, Raphinha with 2 goals). This is his best start to the season since the 2020/2021 financial year at Barça, during which he piled up 5 goals and 4 assists before a fracture of the meniscus in his left knee, keeping him away from the field until the start of the season. the following season. Other physical problems (knee problems, hamstrings, etc.) will truncate his following years at FC Barcelona, forced to recruit in this sector, thus reducing his playing time in the first team.
On the other hand, his coach, Roberto De Zerbi, did not hesitate to be a little more severe with his scorer at a press conference after the victory in Amsterdam in C3: “I always expect more from Ansu Fati. He played very well in the first and second half, but after the second goal he could have played better. He has to push more.” A lack of efficiency which had already affected him for a few days among the residents of the Camp Nou during his first professional seasons, even forcing his coaches to shift him to the left lane in order to take advantage of his explosiveness and his technical ease with the ball. . His express adaptation to the Seagulls seems to have given him wings, enough to delight the reigning Spanish champion and the Iberian press, who are rubbing their hands at the return to the high level of their prospect.
Because yes, as the new Catalan sports coordinator, Bojan Krkic, explained, Barça is very attentive to every step of its attacker. “Ansu is in very good hands. His coach believes in him and masters the management of young players. He is very happy”, declared the ex-Blaugrana, now 33 years old. Moreover, his start to the season is good news, not only if the Spanish club wishes to reintegrate him into Xavi’s squad or even… sell him. As a reminder, there was already talk, according to the media across the Pyrenees, of selling it last summer to get some cash. With a release clause of 1 billion euros attached to his contract and a Transfermarkt valuation of 35 million euros, it is clear that his return to Barcelona will in any case be beneficial for the current third in La Liga after 12 days.
