Barcelona need a left winger. Whilst the bigger names have been the center of attention, Barcelona's scouts have been working away on a 20-year-old Belgian at Ajax who is arguably the most exciting on this entire list.
Mika Godts-remember the name.
Who is Mika Godts?
Born June 7, 2005 Godts moved to Ajax from Genk in 2023 and has been establishing himself as one of the most dangerous wide attackers in European football.
He has a contract until 2029 and a current market value of £20.4M. The expected transfer fee being between £25-30M is incredible value, considering his profile and age.
The numbers
The Belgian has been in extraordinary form this season:
- 16 goals and 11 assists in 29 Eredivisie games.
- 7.89 average rating from Fotmob in 2421 minutes played.
- 72 chances created, 14 of them considered big chances.
- 79 successful dribbles, 183 touches in the opponent box.
- 94th percentile for goals and 93rd for chances created per 90.
His recent form is perhaps most encouraging. An 8.9 FotMob rating against Heracles, 8.5 against NAC Breda and 9.2 against Sparta Rotterdam shows he is in absolutely devastating form. He also picked up his first 2 caps for the senior Belgium squad very recently.
Does he fit Hansi Flick's system?
Yes, largely. Flick requires wingers who press, drive defenders down and offer an attacking threat either through combination play or individually.
Godts possesses all of these qualities naturally. His dribbling, chance creation and touches in the box are elite. He is a player who is always eager for the ball in dangerous areas and looks to impose himself.
His xGOT (Expected Goals On Target) of 13.42 against an 10.67 xG (Expected Goals) is an indication of the quality of his shots. He doesn't just shoot, he shoots well.
The only obvious area of development lies in his defensive output where he sits in the 7th percentile of wingers. The likes of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal are tireless with their pressing and work rate, something Godts still needs to fully embrace. It's the one real flaw that is fixable. He is very young and Hansi Flick can surely imbue his value in him.
The bigger picture
Reports say that Barcelona specifically scouted Godts. This is why this feels more like the real thing rather than a weekly scouting trip. The price is around 30 million, lower than any other genuine winger on Barcelona's list. All other wingers on Barca's list are older than him, and his potential is higher than most.
The Eredivisie is not La Liga. Quality is significantly different. But Ajax's style of play of being a possession-heavy, attacking team is very close to Barcelona's way of playing.
The pressing ability and tight-space understanding has already been instilled, and he knows how to put the ball in the net when pressured.
At 30 million for a 20 year old Belgian international, who is involved in 27 goals this season, it is a steal and Barcelona must capitalise on this. They can't be making the same mistake they did with Luis Diaz. The risk is very low comapred to what Mika Godts can bring to the table.
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