Despite winning trophies in consecutive seasons, Erik ten Hag’s tenure in the Manchester United dugout was nothing short of a shambles. It has now been disclosed that a striker he had hoped to purchase for £34 million has seen a sharp decline in value due to a bad run of results.
The days of Ten Hag are long gone, and the ruling class has put all of their trust in Ruben Amorim, who recently acknowledged that his team’s otherwise dreadful season would not be saved by winning the Europa League. The team’s center-forward problems still exist.
Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund haven’t exactly taken off since their respective entrances, but according to recent sources, Ten Hag, who finished with a 1.84 points per game average over 128 games, was a huge fan of another Ajax sensation.
The Struggles of Ten Hag’s Former Striker Target
According to a Dutch journalist, his value has decreased by €30 million.
Ten Hag has a propensity to dabble in the Ajax-based market, in case you were unaware. Two players that immediately come to mind who made the move from Ajax to Manchester United under the Dutchman’s leadership are Lisandro Martinez and Antony.
According to GOAL, Dutch writer Vlaentijn Driessen stated that Ten Hag was a “huge fan” of Brian Brobbey in an interview with Vandaag Inside. After scoring 31 goals in the previous two Eredivisie football seasons, he was valued at €40 million (£34 million) at the time.
The 23-year-old Netherlands international, who has eight caps, hasn’t exactly taken off since Ten Hag contemplated signing a contract with his old team. In fact, he has only scored seven goals and provided five assists in 24 games this season.
Even more concerning is the fact that Brobbey didn’t score his first goal of the season until November. Driessen has since stated that it would be remarkable if his current employers, Ajax, could sell him for more than €10 million. He stated:
“They are not even paying €10 million for him, even though Ten Hag wanted to pay an additional €40 million.”
The Amsterdam native, who has scored 56 goals for Ajax since graduating from their legendary academy levels in October 2020, has reached a personal terms agreement with West Ham United, according to a January 2025 report by talkSPORT’s Alex Crook.
Indeed, according to GIVEMESPORT sources, Manchester United, who are presently in 14th place in the Premier League standings, was considering bidding against the London club for the line-leader’s services during the midseason transfer window.
The problems facing the Red Devils are more local. Although Hojlund scored against Bournemouth, he hasn’t been very effective in the final third this season, and the Old Trafford supporters have questioned the 23-year-old Zirkzee’s goal-scoring ability.
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