Mino Raiola has delivered a blow to Premier League giants Leeds United and Arsenal, telling Studio Voetbal that Noussair Mazraoui will not leave Ajax in the January transfer window.
Marcelo Bielsa has always preferred to work with a small, tight-knit squad of players. But not this small.
During their 4-1 defeat to Arsenal at Elland Road, Leeds were missing more players through injury than many of their top-flight rivals had lost to COVID.
The irony of that fact was lost on no one at a drizzly Elland Road either.
With Jamie Shackleton limping into an already packed treatment room, and with Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas required elsewhere, Bielsa had little choice but to throw 20-year-old Cody Drameh in at the deep end when Arsenal came to town, the youngster handed his first Premier League start out of pure necessity.
The January transfer window, then, has seldom felt so important. Especially with Leeds’ Premier League future on the line.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that his contract at the Eredivisie champions is due to expire next summer, Morocco international Mazraoui appears to be going absolutely nowhere next month.
Will Noussair Mazraoui stay at Ajax?
“I don’t think he will be leaving during the winter holidays,” says Raiola, arguably the most influential ‘super-agent’ in modern football.
“(The contract negotiations) is a difficult process but nothing is excluded.”
Raiola is not a man likely to back down from a fight.
And with Mazraoui unimpressed with the offer on the table from Ajax, who better than Raiola to fight his corner?
“There are differences of opinion on the financial situation of the player,” Raiola adds.
According to ESPN, Arsenal are monitoring the attack-minded Mazraoui too.
Takehiro Tomiyasu has emerged as an immediate fans’ favourite since joining Mikel Arteta’s side over the summer. But Mazraoui would represent a more adventurous, attack-minded option.
He has four goals and three assists from right-back this season already.
Former Amsterdam Arena ace Kenneth Perez recently claimed that Everton could make a move for Mazraoui too. But, so far, there are no suggestions that there is any interest from the Toffees.
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