Huddersfield Town have signed Abdelhamid Sabiri from FC Nurnberg for an undisclosed fee. The deal was rumoured to be happening weeks ago, but had gone cold until a resurfacing this week. The fee is rumoured to be around £1m, but I’d expect the relatively low initial fee will be bolstered by add ons and sell-on clauses.
Sabiri is 20 years old, plays in the number 10 role and has is highly rated in Germany. He was born in Morrocco but has dual citizenship, as he’s lived in Germany since he was three.
He’s signed a three-year contract, with Town having the option to extend by a further year. He’s the tenth player to sign for Town this summer (not including Kachunga, who’s loan became permanent in July but was agreed in the spring).
He’s not played many senior football games, but last season he scored 5 goals in 9 Bundesliga 2 appearances. If he can bring that kind of goal ratio to the Premier League then he’ll be doing alright.
What does Abdelhamid Sabiri bring to Town?
Sabiri plays in the number ten role, so he operates centrally, behind the main striker. He’s got good close control and looks able to retain the ball in tight spaces. The clips I’ve seen of him show that he’s fast but he’s also quick thinking, often acting before the defenders and nipping in behind.
Sabiri looks like the kind of player David Wagner likes: quick, direct, and works hard to close down opposition defenders. He’s got good technical qualities too and should be able to create chances for the players around him with his skill.
Although he’s slightly built, he’s six foot tall, so will be a threat in the air. This can be seen by the headed goals he scored last season in the clip below.
Sabiri’s playing history
Sabiri’s playing history doesn’t take long to go through. He’s only played nine senior games, all for FC Nurnberg in Bundesliga 2. The fact he scored five goals and received 3 Man of the Match awards in those nine games suggests he’s got talent.
He’s also played in Nurnberg’s second team and a team called Sportfreunde Siegen in the past few season, before getting into Nurnberg’s first team. These other teams play in the obscure leagues of German football, so it’s hard to get too excited by stats of 34 goals in 52 appearances.
David Wagner’s comments on the transfer
Wagner seems pleased to have finally got his man in his comments to the official website. He points out that Sabiri is primarily a number 10, but he’s able to cover the other attacking positions as well.
Town’s manager points out that Sabiri has the potential to have a great career but has to put the work in to get there. It’s good to see Wagner emphasising the need for this young player to put the graft in so he can achieve what he’s capable of. Getting to play in the Premier League at 20 years old is an achievement, but he’s got work hard before he can become a regular starter for Town.
What do fans think about the Sabiri transfer?
Reddit user Kantebegoodaskante is a Nurnberg fan and has mixed emotions about Sabiri leaving them to join Town. He feels that he’s a talented player, but after only a few successful games he “thinks his Ronaldo”.
I found a German football forum where Sabiri’s transfer was being discussed. Either Google Translate is having an off day or German football fans talk gibberish because it was hard to follow. The general consensus is that they’re disappointed that a talented player has left for a relatively-low transfer fee. Some also mention his poor character, which I’ll cover below.
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Does he have an attitude problem?
There were rumours that FC Nurnberg’s manager instructed Sabrir to train with the under-20s this summer and Sabiri refused. It’s quite possible he was getting bad advice from his agent, thinking it could help engineer a move, but it’s not a great sign.
I also read somewhere that he’d headbutted a teammate in training shortly after it became known Huddersfield Town were interested in him. It’s been hard to find any reliable news sources reporting on the incident, so it may have just been talk.
It sounds like this lad was desperate to get this move and probably didn’t conduct himself as professionally as he could once he decided he wanted to leave. Whether he’s got an attitude problem is tough to call. I do know that David Wagner is an excellent man manager, so will bring the best out of Sabiri and get him playing his best football.
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Terrier Spirit opinion on Sabiri’s signing
I think this is a good signing for Town. The fee involved and his lack of experience made me initially think that he’s going to a player for the future. But Wagner’s comments and giving him 11 as his squad number suggests we’ve brought him in to cover Kasey Palmer’s position this season.
It’s another transfer gamble by Town, he’s young, inexperienced and there are question marks about his attitude. However, he’s also obviously talented and could develop into a special player.
If the rumoured transfer fee of around one million pounds is correct then it’s not silly money to punt on a player that has potential to become either famous or infamous at Town. It should be entertaining however he turns out.
If anyone can stamp out an attitude problem in a player, it’s Wagner. He will not want it to be a stumbling block and he will belive he can achieve a lot if the player has the right frame of mind. This will have been a dream move for the player. You’d think he would show the correct attitude, and he knows he may have to be patient for his chance to come. He is only young – his introduction cannot be rushed.
Who knows? His debut could be as quick as Southampton, but you would think it would be from the bench. He has the potential to be the Moroccan Mooy. He just has to fulfill it.