By Alex Roberts
The reported €40 million payment makes him far and away Uzbekistan’s costliest participant in historical past, greater than double the €19.6 million price ticket Roma paid Genoa for Eldor Shomurodov again in July 2024.
When Khusanov makes his debut the 20-year-old will turn out to be the primary Uzbek participant in Premier League historical past and the deal shall be pound for pound, fairly actually, probably the most worthwhile ever, having joined RC Lens from Belarusian aspect Energetik-BGU for a measly €100,000 again in the summertime of 2023.
It was a deal that not many paid a lot consideration to on the time, for apparent causes, however there was methodology to the insanity. Not lengthy after shifting to Minsk, Khusanov loved his first main worldwide success as Uzbekistan received the 2023 Underneath-20 Asian Cup on dwelling soil, conceding only one objective within the course of.
The one means was up from there. Khusanov starred for Uzbekistan as soon as once more simply two months later, taking part in each minute for Uzbekistan within the Underneath-20s World Cup earlier than being knocked out by Israel within the spherical of 16.
There shall be loads of variations between taking part in for RC Lens and Man Metropolis. The obvious is Lens play a again three, whereas Metropolis, in transition at the very least, normally keep on with a again 4.
Pep Guardiola, livid after their 2-1 Manchester derby defeat to Man United, claimed “We now have no defence”, and he’s not unsuitable. Even after they’ve not needed to cope with accidents, Metropolis’s growing old again line haven’t been as much as par within the first half of the season.
Nathan Aké, Manuel Akanji, John Stones, and Kyle Walker are all coming into the twilight of their unimaginable careers, to a special diploma, with Walker trying set for a transfer after catching flak from his personal followers for a number of high-profile errors.
It’s an space they’ve addressed and are working in direction of fixing; not simply bringing Khusanov to the membership, however Palmeiras wonderkid Vitor Reis set to hitch him as Metropolis search to spend their means out of hassle.
Metropolis’s recruitment crew know what they’re doing, and that makes the transfer for Khusanov all of the extra attention-grabbing. In some ways, he’s not the standard sort of centre-back Guardiola would go for.
Within the Uzbek language Khusanov means ‘mighty’, which is fairly apt. He by no means stops, he’d slide deal with his grandma if it meant stopping an assault, and that’s why he’s been nicknamed ‘the prepare.’
Whenever you shut your eyes and consider the archetypal Guardiola centre-back, you see Rúben Dias. A powerful ball provider, passer, and annoyingly good-looking, Khusanov doesn’t have all of these traits.
In comparison with the opposite two in Lens’ most well-liked again three, Khusanov has the least variety of profitable passes with 475 in comparison with Kevin Danso’s 658, and Facundo Medina’s 818.
He’s additionally created the least variety of possibilities amongst the three with two, 4 fewer than Danso, and a whopping eight fewer than Medina. After all, he’ll see extra of the ball at Metropolis, so he should adapt shortly.
He carries the load of a nation on his shoulders. His outstanding rise to prominence is a large supply of nationwide pleasure in Uzbekistan, however opposite to fashionable perception, they’ve at all times had a love for soccer.
At the moment sat in 58th within the FIFA Nationwide Workforce Rankings, they’re above extra historically soccer mad nations just like the Republic of Eire, Ghana, and Euro 2016 quarter-finalists Iceland.
That’s not all all the way down to Khusanov, though he has performed a big position. CSKA winger Abbosbek Fayzullaev can also be probably the most thrilling younger prospects in Asia, by no means thoughts Uzbekistan.
Fayzullaev beat Khusanov to the Uzbekistan’s Finest Participant of 2024 award, in addition to the 2023 Asian Younger Footballer of the Yr and is that includes often for the Moscow membership, scoring two objectives, and offering three assists in his 16 league video games.
Clearly, taking part in in Russia provides an additional stage of trickiness ought to a high European membership resolve to make a transfer given political rigidity we don’t have sufficient house to write down about, however don’t be stunned if considered one of them determined to threat it someday quickly.
Azizbek Tulkinbekov, a centre-back who also can play wing-back, grew to become the Uzbek First division’s youngest ever participant, making his debut on the age of simply 15 years, eight months, and 28 days for present membership Bunyodkor all the way in which again in 2022.
The final word objective for the Uzbek Soccer Assosiation is to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in North America, which might be their first ever. They’re at the moment second of their qualifying group, three factors behind leaders Iran who’ve 16, with their solely defeat coming by the hands of 2022 World Cup hosts, Qatar.
There’s nonetheless an extended option to go, and far work to be finished in the event that they need to make it to North America, however the expertise is actually there. Khusanov’s meteoric rise is simply the primary, they might by no means win a serious event, however so what, count on to see loads of Uzbek gamers throughout Europe’s high leagues within the not so distant future.
(Cowl picture from IMAGO)
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