Alan Shearer told BBC Sport’s coverage of France’s win over Morocco that Liverpool and Tottenham transfer target Sofyan Amrabat is an “absolutely magnificent” player – speaking ahead of the 2-0 defeat to France in the semi-final.
Morocco’s miraculous run to the last four finally came to and end against the World Champions. That is, despite being the better side for much of the second half. Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani got the goals for the French.
Amrabat, though, was excellent once again. The Dutch-born midfielder played every single minute of Morocco’s campaign – including wins over Belgium and Portugal, a draw with Croatia and beating Spain in a penalty shootout.
The 26-year-old has earning plenty of interest his services as a result of it. Indeed, a report from CalcioMercato states that he is a £34.5million target for both Liverpool and Tottenham. Shearer gave his verdict on the Fiorentina midfielder.
“He’s been absolutely magnificent,” Shearer told BBC’s pre-match coverage. “They’re really difficult to beat and very good without the ball, and one of the reasons for that is this guy. He gives them so much protection.
“You can see how many tackles he’s made and he’s a huge part of their success up to now. He can get out there and help his full-backs, and that’s what he’s in that role to do – to stop, and be a spoiler – he’s excellent at it.”
Shearer: Liverpool and Tottenham target Amrabat is magnificent
What a player. While Morocco’s jaw-dropping campaign has unearthed some hidden gems that not many will have known about – it has also heightened those who were already impressing in Europe. Amrabat falls under the latter.
Achraf Hakimi, Romain Saiss, Hakim Ziyech, Youssef En-Nesyri are all established names within European football. But their agent’s phone will be regularly ringing after their displays in Qatar. Amrabat will be right at the top of many’s list.
The £30k-a-week star suits Tottenham’s pragmatic approach and given Antonio Conte’s past interest in him, a move could happen. For Liverpool, he would likely play second fiddle to Fabinho – but it is a position Liverpool need to fill.
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