4.5 year contract
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Fenerbahçe has officially completed the transfer of 26-year-old French midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi, who plays for Lazio, one of the Italian Serie A teams. The French national football player signed a contract binding him to the yellow-dark blue colors for 4.5 years. Ertan Torunoğulları, Member of the Board of Directors Responsible from Football Branch, Football A.Ş. attended the signing ceremony held at the club building. Board Members Ömer Topbaş and Turgay Terzi and Sports Director Devin Özek attended.
COST HAS BEEN CLEARED
While Fenerbahçe did not make an official statement regarding the player’s salary and transfer fee, it was stated in the news in the European and Turkish press that the transfer fee was 28 million euros + 2 million euros bonus. According to the news, it was stated that the French football player’s annual salary will be around 4-5 million euros. The only detail shared about the contract by the yellow-dark blue club was that the agreement was for 4.5 years. With this transfer, Fenerbahçe made a transfer with the highest transfer fee in the club’s history. Mattéo Guendouzi was also recorded as the fourth most expensive transfer in Super League history.
GO TO PLAYER PROFILE
With the transfer of Guendouzi, the transfer record in the yellow-dark blue club also changed. Previously, the club record belonged to Kerem Aktürkoğlu with 22.5 million euros. While Youssef En-Nesyri ranked second with 19.5 million euros, Dorgeles Nene and Cengiz Ünder were on the list of the most expensive transfers with 18 million euros and 15 million euros. The French midfielder became the second most valuable transfer in the club’s history after Jhon Duran, and the fourth most expensive transfer in the Super League overall, after Victor Osimhen, Wilfried Singo and Orkun Kökçü.
Making a statement after the signing ceremony, Ertan Torunoğulları, Member of the Board of Directors in Charge of the Football Branch, said: “We will create a team that fights on the field, fights to the end, and will be applauded by our fans even when they lose. We believe that Matteo will be an important part of this team and will make a great contribution to the championship. Transfer is a process that requires patience. With patience, we will build the fighting team that our community dreams of.” he said.
New transfer Mattéo Guendouzi also stated that he was very proud to come to Fenerbahçe and said, “I wanted to be here very much. This is a very big day for me and my family. Fenerbahçe is one of the biggest clubs in the world and has a great history. I know the atmosphere created by our fans. I can’t wait to play my first match in front of them. I hope we can win victories and trophies together.” he said.
The current market value of the 25-year-old football player, who played for Arsenal, Marseille, Hertha Berlin and Lazio in his career, is 28 million euros. It reached its highest market value with 50 million euros in 2019. Guendouzi; He can also play in the central midfield, front libero and number 10 positions. The French player, who played a total of 374 matches in his club career, scored 19 goals and 28 assists. Guendouzi, who played for the French National Team 14 times, scored 2 goals in these matches.
Aniello Luciano from Transfermarkt Italy team made evaluations about the prominent features of the French midfielder. Luciano, “Guendouzi can definitely be a very good alternative for Fenerbahçe. He was one of the most interesting midfielders of Serie A during the years he played in Lazio, and he stood out especially with his physical strength, dynamism and ability to carry the ball forward. However, the great leap in quality expected from him did not fully materialize. He came closest to this expectation when Marco Baroni was the coach. This is definitely not a coincidence, because Baroni was the coach who positioned Guendouzi in the most tactical way. Two-man midfield He was more effective when he played with another defensive midfielder rather than a playmaker on the line. This role both increased his defensive contribution and allowed him to use his energy more accurately, although he occasionally achieved stability in different positions and roles, he gave his highest performance in this order.
In general, he could not fully meet the modern midfield profile that the clubs that invested in him expected. Despite this, he still stands out as a very useful player in matches where you need to defend, when you want to increase the tempo and in parts where the game gets tougher. Thanks to his technical capacity, he can maintain his passing quality. It must be said that he sometimes finds it difficult to take on a leadership role. He has deficiencies in managing the game mentally, directing his teammates and taking responsibility at critical moments. “Despite this, when used in the right system, he will be a midfielder who can make a serious contribution to the team.” he said.
