Rumoured Tottenham target Sofyan Amrabat has seemingly opened the door for a move to Atletico Madrid by expressing his admiration for Diego Simeone.
Morocco’s unexpected run to the semi-finals will undoubtedly be one of the lasting memories of the 2022 World Cup, and it was Amrabat’s performances that made such a run possible for the North African side.
Unsurprisingly, the 26-year-old has been linked with a whole host of clubs, including Spurs (Foot Mercato), on the back of his displays in Qatar.
Liverpool, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain (Relevo) and Atletico Madrid (Firenze Viola) have also been credited with an interest in the central midfielder over recent days.
According to Matteo Moretto, Fiorentina value Amrabat at around €40m (£34.3m) ahead of the January transfer window.
The Moroccan has now been speaking to Spanish media about links to Barcelona and Atletico, admitting that he is ‘honoured’ to be associated with such clubs.
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Amrabat told Marca (as relayed by CalcioMercato): “It’s a great honor to be associated with this type of club. Right now I’m playing for Fiorentina.
“I have a lot of respect for my club, it’s a great team. I have a great coach and a great relationship with owner Rocco Commisso, who brought me to Fiorentina, and also with Joe Barone (CEO) and Daniele Prade (technical director). I have a lot of respect for them and for the club.”
The former Club Brugge star also spoke about Simione and the similarities between Morocco’s style of play and Atletico’s.
When quizzed about the Colchoneros manager, Amrabat responded: “I have a great coach at Fiorentina. I don’t like talking about others. But yes, what Simeone does, what he has achieved. He has coached Atletico Madrid for many years. I like his style of play.
“He has won a lot and I have a lot of respect for him. His team’s players are physically strong and aggressive. I like playing like this. Morocco and Atletico similar? Yes. I read that Morocco play like Atletico.
“We may look like – a strong block. I’ve always said that I like playing like this. For what I think, Atletico and Morocco can be similar. Even a style like Gattuso’s teams. Every manager has his own style.”
Spurs Web Opinion
One cannot read too much into this interview as Amarabat is seemingly just being respectful to Atletico and Simione. I think it is highly likely that the 26-year-old will end up in the Premier League in January but I would be surprised if Spurs win the bidding war for the midfielder as it is not an area of the pitch that is a priority to strengthen in January.
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