Freiburg coach Julian Schuster has admitted he was hoping to keep Johan Manzambi from Aston Villa’s clutches this summer.
Bluewin have comments from the Freiburg coach today regarding the 20-year-old following his big money move to the Premier League.
Record transfer
The youngster headed to Aston Villa in a €60m deal as a replacement for Youri Tielemans, having impressed at the World Cup with Switzerland.
That move made him the most expensive Swiss footballer of all time. He is also Freiburg’s record departure, beating the previous record – Kevin Schade’s €25m move to Brentford – by a considerable distance.
That was the kind of money that the German side couldn’t turn down. But Schuster admits he was hoping that they would.
“There are certain hurdles, like contracts – we had a handle on that situation. So, we knew whoever wanted him would have to pay a high price,” he explained.
“From a coach’s perspective, you always hope until the very last day that you can keep working with the player.
“The likelihood is high when the performances are good, the potential for further improvement is there, and the player is still young. Those are factors that all add up.”
| Every Aston Villa signing 26/27 | Nationality | Previous Club | Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolas Jackson | Senegal | Chelsea | £65m | |
| Johan Manzambi | Switzerland | Freiburg | £59.5m | |
| Ibrahim Mbaye | Senegal | PSG | £47m | |
| Joao Gomes | Brazil | Wolves | £38m | |
| Zion Suzuki | Japan | Parma | £30m | |
| Taylor Harwood-Bellis | England | Southampton | £29m | |
| Matteo Ruggeri | Italy | Atletico Madrid | £17m | |
| Modou Keba Cisse | Senegal | LASK | £4.3m | |
| Leon Goretzka | Germany | Bayern Munich | Free | |
| Alejandro Garnacho | Argentina | Chelsea | Loan | |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka | DR Congo | West Ham | Loan |
World Cup interest
He knew, though, that the player’s performances at the World Cup would lead to a move. It was eventually Aston Villa who spent big.
“Of course, when media hype is added to strong performances, it’s like an avalanche crashing down on a player. That’s when it becomes clear that a transfer is on the cards.”
He’s now looking at the positive side of the deal. Not only is the deal a positive for Freiburg, but he also believes that the youngster will end up impressing in the Premier League.
“Naturally, you miss a player like him,” he concluded.
“After all, he was the kind of player who could make the difference. But I’m pretty sure they’re going to have a lot of fun with him in the Premier League, too. All in all, it’s a real success story.”
