All the way back in May, Ibrahim Sangaré made clear that a move to the Premier League would be a dream for him.
There were various links during the summer transfer window, and then Chelsea arrived with a €40m offer, something which was rejected by his current club PSV.
Last week saw claims that the potential move to Stamford Bridge had left the player distracted, and had impacted his performances. That stance continues in the Dutch media, with pundits on the Netherlands version of ESPN now taking aim at Sangaré.
Arnold Bruggink is quoted by SoccerNews as saying the 24-year-old midfielder should now be showing more than he is: “He is now entering a phase in which he has to take a team with him. Especially in the first half against Heerenveen, I think it’s just too little for a player like Sangaré. Whether it’s concentration or not, but he lets it go. He started the game badly, all those half things, hospital balls to fellow players.
Meanwhile, Kenneth Perez believes the player’s lack of language skills are an issue. From Ivory Coast, Sangaré only speaks French, and Perez said: “I understand he can’t communicate at all, he doesn’t speak any language except French. Well and most don’t speak that at PSV, that is less of a thing, that makes it more difficult.”
Bruggink agreed, and suggested this will be an issue if he wants a move to the Premier League: “Yes, does he want to go to England?”
Chelsea will obviously be aware if Sangaré is having issues in Dutch football this season, but some of the criticism does feel like a reaction to him wanting that summer move to the Blues.
