5 Things You Should Know About This Manchester United/Arsenal/Chelsea Transfer Target

In a Roma side that contains some impressive attackers, 27-year-old Moroccan center back Mehdi Benatia has stood out as one of their key players in a season in which saw the club concede just 25 goals in the League. From being turned down by his beloved Marseille as a teenager, to becoming one of Serie A’s most accomplished defenders, Benatia’s career is a testament to his determination and his willingness to keep fighting on. Although he only moved to Roma last summer, his performances have caught the eye of top clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea.

1. Career history

Born to a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother in a small town called Courcouronnes, just south of Paris, Benatia was a member of the famous Clairefontaine academy and played alongside future French internationals like Hatem Ben Arfa, Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema and Jeremy Menez. As a 16-year-old, Benatia joined Marseille but never really got an opportunity to play for the club as he was farmed out on loan, first to second-division club Tours and then to Lorient, where he injured himself and didn’t play a single game.

His first shot at regular, first team football came at Clermont, whom he joined on a free transfer in 2008. After two successful seasons with the club, he made his move to Italian Udinese again on a free. It was here that Benatia showed how good he was as he quickly established himself as a first-choice center back. In his three seasons with the club, Benatia made over 70 appearances and scored five teams before his big-money switch to Roma last summer, where he has once again proved his worth. Although he was born in France, he chose to represent his father’s homeland of Morocco for whom he has already made over 30 appearances.

2. Style of Play

Good in the air and with the ball at his feet, Mehdi Benatia is your archetypal modern-day center half. Whilst he might lack the pace some other defenders possess, what he lacks in pace, he more than makes up for it, with his reading of the game. His 6’3 frame means that he is taller than most of his contemporaries and as a result, rarely loses out on any aerial duels.

When making crucial interceptions or tackles, Benatia is a defender who relies on his awareness of what’s around him rather than his pace. While he is water-tight defensively, he is by no means just a solid defender. Calm and composed in possession, Benatia is also adept at starting attacks from the back. On average, he completes more passes than anybody in the Roma defense and has scored some crucial goals along the way as well.

3. Strengths

Mehdi Benatia’s biggest strength is his ability to read the game. Whether it is going into a tackle or timing his interception, the Moroccan is always aware of his position and ensures that he makes his move cleanly and swiftly. The timing of his tackles are always impeccable and the same can be said for his ability in the air, where times his jump to absolute perfection.

Another of his big strengths is his concentration. One key asset that a lot of defenders lack is the ability to stay focused right throughout the game. The 27-year-old’s powers of concentration are simply unbelievable and the amount of times he bails his team by simply observing what is going around him is simply sublime. Add to this, his knack of scoring crucial goals and providing telling passes from the back, and you have a complete center back, who can cover every blade of grass with great élan.

4 Weaknesses

The 27-year-old doesn’t have any discernible weakness, but his lack of pace might be something that might come back to bite him should he move to a faster, more end-to-end League like the Premier League. Having made his name in Italy and France, the defender is unlikely to have come up against lightning quick strikers of teams that attack with plenty of pace and precision and that might be the solitary chink in the Moroccan’s armor.

5. Possible destinations

Although he only just joined Roma last summer, his stunning displays have attracted plenty of attention from English clubs, with both Manchester clubs and Chelsea interested in signing the 27-year-old center back. Regular first team football has always been Benatia’s top priority and with both Manchester City and Chelsea, unlikely to offer Benatia that, he might well choose to stay at Roma. But, if United, having recently lost both Vidic and Ferdinand, coming looking for an experienced center half to play in their first team, an improved pay and the prospect of winning trophies might just entice the Moroccan to move to Old Trafford.

Verdict

Although he only just signed for Roma, there is a very good chance that Benatia will leave the Giallorossi this summer. With plenty of top European clubs circling for his signature, chances are, he will move for at least twice the money Roma paid for his services last summer. With their first-team opening and a chance to win trophies, if Manchester United come calling, it would be hard to Benatia to refuse. Even if the Red Devils don’t make a move for him, chances are he will likely end up in England by the start of the next Premier League campaign.