Vincent Kompany is already wildly enthusiastic… Six months ago, the Anderlecht head coach was already a strong supporter for the arrival of Paul Mukairu, and the Nigerian has paid back that great confidence by Kompany in a short time.
Yet, we can expect much more from the talented and versatile Paul Mukairu.
Six months ago, RSC Anderlecht tracked down a young but talented Nigerian football player. Paul Mukairu was the name and since last weekend every follower of the Jupiler Pro League already knows who the 20-year-old is.
Barely 13 minutes and one goal attempt, Mukairu needed to make his first goal for his new employers. One shot from the last signing of the past transfer window was enough to secure the 1-0 victory against the then league leaders Antwerp.
As a new player that can count.
On paper, Paul Mukairu had been an Anderlecht player since October 5, but due to lingering administrative problems, and of course also the corona situation, it took another three weeks before he set foot on Belgian soil.
Mukairu had barely completed two training sessions at Neerpede, but head coach Vincent Kompany included his latest offensive acquisition in the match squad against Antwerp.
Kompany had several reasons for this, but he selected Mukairu mainly because of his merits in his first, albeit limited, training time at Anderlecht.
“I saw a player with 200% enthusiasm for training. As if he had come to Anderlecht to let his family survive ”, Vincent Kompany said at the press conference after the victory against Antwerp.
“Someone who works hard like him, who is so eager to help the team, must be rewarded. His goal is his reward. ”
Given these praise it should come as no surprise that six months ago Kompany was already wildly enthusiastic about the qualities of Mukairu, after which the Purple & White scouting could take further steps in scouting and analyzing the Antalyaspor player.
MUKAIRU AND HENRY
He plays with the name ‘Paul’ on the back of his shirt and with the number 12 on the upper back. The latter is a tribute to Thierry Henry, the great idol of Mukairu, although Sadio Mané and Cristiano Ronaldo can also charm him.
It is therefore no coincidence that the Nigerian on the football field sometimes reminds us of Henry, not through the same dose of quality, of course, but through a similar style.
Because Mukairu has a natural flair, a certain feast for the eyes that not all footballers have, just as Henry did in his days.
Furthermore, Mukairu proved to possess all the core qualities originally attributed to him. He is enthusiastic, goal-oriented, explosive and knows how to handle the ball.
Moreover, Mukairu was not afraid to do his defensive work in an energetic way against Antwerp. The Nigerian clearly played to the heart of coach Kompany.
GOAL WITH SIGNIFICANCE
One shot, one goal. And what kind of goal? His goal was of unusual beauty, and it was also one that ended up in the history books.
Thanks to Mukairu’s goal, Anderlecht achieved their thousandth victory since the introduction of professional football in 1974.
“It was probably the best goal of my career so far”, the match winner declared after the final whistle to the assembled press.
Mukairu’s goal was one with a lot of meaning and value, both for Anderlecht and for himself.
Although the Nigerian will be especially relieved that he immediately opened his goals account.
“Normally I never score from that far. That’s an aspect of my game that can be improved,” he admitted.
Although Mukairu showed himself extremely efficient for goal against Antwerp last weekend, scoring is not his strongest point: at Antalyaspor, for example, he also only managed 4 goals in 34 official games.
In addition, he did not record any attempt at goal in the Turkish Süper Lig this season – he played three more matches for Antalyaspor in the current year.
But his clever debut goal already makes RSCA dream of more, the quality of his goal betrays a certain form of class and toroid instinct. Although the 20-year-old must of course continue to prove himself in the opportunities he gets.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
After his remarkable first 27 playing minutes in the shirt of Anderlecht, people mainly talked and wrote about his first goal, but he still has to showcase the greatest qualities of Paul Mukairu. As his playing opportunities increase, his intrinsic talent will therefore emerge more clearly.
At Antalyaspor, for example, Mukairu proved to be a gifted dribbler. In Turkey, for example, he undertook five dribbles per game, earning a place in the top ten among the forwards in the Süper Lig.
In addition, Mukairu at Antalyaspor also stood out for his long-distance acceleration with the ball at his feet.
In that aspect, for example, the Nigerian was the third best winger in the Turkish football league.
Speed, dribbles and acceleration in a ‘Purple-White’ context, these qualities are reminiscent of the flank flasher Jérémy Doku who left for Stade Rennes.
But to consider Mukairu as the successor to dribble king Jérémy Doku, that’s comparing apples to oranges – something we mentioned earlier in this analysis.
3 MILLION EURO
In the past transfer period, RSC Anderlecht mainly focused on attracting newcomers on a loan basis or via a contract-free status due to their limited finances. Of the four loanees – Matt Miazga (Chelsea FC), Percy Tau (Brighton & Hove Albion), Lukas Nmecha (Manchester City) and Paul Mukairu (Antalyaspor), Sporting only negotiated a purchase option on the latter.
It confirms the great confidence in Mukairu’s capabilities in all ranks of the club.
On the last day of the previous transfer window, Anderlecht had only one target in mind, and that was to bring in Paul Mukairu. It was either the Nigerian or nobody else.
Sporting are therefore fully convinced of Mukairu’s qualities and for now the attacker is also showing why that is – although of course he still has to confirm that as the season progresses.
On the other hand, it also proves that at Neerpede the quantity of the players is subordinate to the quality of the group.
Depending on the source, the permanent purchase option in Mukairu’s loan is 3 million Euros or 2.5 million Euros plus several hundred thousand Euros in bonuses.
That amount is quite close to what was spent for Mustapha Bundu (3 million Euros, Aarhus GF), the most expensive ‘Purple-White’ purchase of the past transfer window, but who despite several chances has yet justify it.
It’s up to the 3 million Euros men …
By Voetbalniuews.be