Huddersfield Town continued their summer squad overhaul on Wednesday morning as they announced the arrival of Moroccan attacking midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri from FC Nurnberg.
The Terriers took to their own website this morning to reveal the news, with the highly-exciting youngster joining up with the Premier League new boys on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
Sabiri has also had a clause inserted into his contract that details he has the option of extending his stay in England for an additional 12 months should he hit make a good impression at Huddersfield.
Who is Abdelhamid Sabiri?
Born in Morocco in November 1996, a lot of Sabiri’s footballing education has come in Germany after moving there as a young child and he came through SV Darmstadt 98’s youth system in 2014.
His first taste of senior football came in the fifth tier of German football for Sportfreunde Siegen in the following season, and he made a name for himself after scoring 20 times in just 29 appearances.
This attracted the attention of Bundesliga 2 side FC Nurnberg and, after a spell playing for their second team – scoring 12 – he made the step up last season, scoring five times in just seven starts.
What do they say about him?
Speaking to Huddersfield’s official website after the signing, boss David Wagner said:
“I’m very happy that we have been able to add Abdelhamid to our squad in this summer window; he is one of the most exciting talents from the German leagues. We needed another natural ‘number 10’ in our squad and he gives us a good option in all the attacking midfield areas.
“Abdelhamid made a big impression in Germany with his performances for Nürnberg in the second-half of last season. The number of goals he has scored from his position is very impressive, which comes from good football intelligence. When I have talked to him, I have been very impressed by how desperate he is to join our club and prove himself at Premier League level. This was a big factor in our negotiation.
“He is still learning the game and his space to develop is huge. If he works hard, like I expect him to do, he could be a high-quality player for this club. We will give him all the support he needs to help him become the best player he can be.”
What can he bring to the Premier League?
As Huddersfield boss David Wagner outlined above, Sabiri has made a name for himself in the German leagues as a natural goal-scorer from midfield, bursting forwards to join in attacks at will.
No matter what level of football the 20-year-old has played at in recent years he’s managed to impress and score goals, and given a chance there is little doubt he will continue this form in England.
Although he is set to face his biggest test yet his intelligence on the ball stands him in good stead, constantly on the look-out for runs from his team-mates and searching for that killer pass in-behind.
Will he be a success for Huddersfield?
It’s always hard to tell when players from a foreign league come over to test their resolves in the Premier League, but the initial signs are there to suggest that Sabiri could be a real asset this year.
Fellow summer signing Steve Mounie has already shown in just two matches that it’s possible to truly hit the ground running in England’s top league and boss Wagner will hope Sabiri does the same.
His youth and lack of experience may actually work in his favour – leaving him fearless and not intimidated by the quality of his opponents – and it is certainly exciting times at Huddersfield Town.