Moroccan World Cup Star Ounahi Prioritizes ’Real Sports Project’ Amid Transfer Speculation

Azzedine Ounahi, 22, is the Moroccan revelation of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. He shone within the Moroccan team during the feat against Spain in the round of 16, against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the quarter-finals. He even impressed Spanish coach Luis Enrique, who was fired after the World Cup. "My God, but where does this guy come from?" he had wondered. "Which opposing player impressed me? I was pleasantly surprised by number 8. I can’t remember his name, I’m sorry..." the former Barça coach had said to a Moroccan journalist in a press conference, after the Spanish defeat. The one who is under contract until June 2026 with SCO is one of the architects of the historic and exceptional journey of the Atlas Lions at the Qatar World Cup.

After the competition, several clubs are showing interest in Azzedine. "Today, we all know that there are interested clubs. It will be a choice to make, an important choice for my career and above all to make the right choice. We don’t know yet how it’s going to play out. Am I going to sign and leave in January? Am I going to sign, stay and help the club and leave this summer? I don’t know yet. I’m waiting for the days, weeks to come to make the right choice. I’m in daily contact with the President. We’ll make the right choice for my career and for the club," he said in an interview with the official media of the current Ligue 1 bottom club, also testifying to his gratitude to his club.

For the Moroccan midfielder, it is not a question of giving priority to a championship. "That’s what I told the president. The sports project comes before anything else. I don’t have a favorite championship, I don’t have an ideal destination, I look first at the sports project. In the club where I’ll go, I still have to progress to show my qualities. To be clear with everyone, I don’t have a preference for this or that championship because I look at the sports project, the interest of the club but also mine. If there is a real sports project, that’s where I’ll go."