Juventus midfielder Mohamed Ihattaren is set to join Ajax on an 18-month loan deal with an option to buy, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The 19-year-old Dutchman signed for Juventus last summer from PSV Eindhoven and was immediately loaned out to Sampdoria. However, he struggled to settle and never made a single appearance for the La Samp.
Now Ihattaren is on the move again but this time will be hoping he can revitalise his career in Amsterdam.
Mohamed Ihattaren to Join Ajax
Chance for Talented Midfielder to Reignite his Career
Mohamed Ihattaren began his career at PSV Eindhoven where he made 56 appearances and scored six goals. His impressive performances earned him a move to Turin giants Juventus while also garnering plaudits from across Europe. He was immediately loaned out to Sampdoria, but Ihattaren described his time there as a nightmare.
In an interview with Dutch newspaper Telegraaf, he outlined his experience at the Italian side. He said: “At 19 years of age, I was sitting in a hotel room alone, left to myself. I couldn’t take it anymore, all kinds of agreements were not respected by Sampdoria.
“It was as if I didn’t exist. Nothing was organised, no bank account nor insurance. I didn’t get a salary, so I called the team manager and he said ‘we pay every two months.’
“It didn’t happen and all of this started to irritate me. I didn’t play, there were no prospects and I called [Mino] Raiola who told me to stay calm.”
Ihattaren will be hoping to have a better time with the Dutch champions. There is no doubt he is a talented player but there have been questions over his attitude and discipline. However, there are several factors for this including the death of his father following a battle with cancer in October 2019. Given that he was such a huge influence and inspiration to the youngster, his death was always going to have a big impact on him.
Moving to Ajax could be perfect for Ihattaren. Ajax boss Erik ten Hag has a great reputation for developing and getting the best out of young players. He has also helped resurrect the careers of Sébastien Haller and Dusan Tadic both of whom having had underwhelming spells in the Premier League.
Given the undoubted talent that Ihattaren possesses you would expect Ten Hag to help him towards the heights he so clearly has the potential to reach.
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