Jose Mourinho very rarely openly appreciates or states his fondness for his players. However, Marouane Fellaini’s case is entirely different over here. Since the gaffer’s arrival at Old Trafford, he has always backed Fellaini to the complete extent.
Mourinho finds something astonishingly peculiar in the big Belgian and hence trusts him to carry out the required work on the field quite often.
Surprisingly though, Fellaini has rejected numerous contract extensions and is destined to seek a way out from the club. Mourinho is undoubtedly keen to keep his trusted aide at Old Trafford, but the situation could be resolved in United’s favor only if Marouane wants to stay; and hence, Fellaini staying put at United looks highly unlikely.
Arsenal seem to be interested in making a bid for Fellaini, considering the fact that Unai Emery had previously registered interest during his time at PSG too.
Fellaini: A volatile midfielder
Fellaini is more of a confidence player, someone who thrives whenever he has the support of the manager and the fans alike. His tall stature enables him to dominate aerially, and hence that adds a unique dimension to the centre of the park. Jose has used him whenever United play long balls to the other half, and hence his role has been reduced to that of a substitute.
He can be used as a target-man too, as his immense physicality helps him dominate the proceedings inside the box too. Fellaini can be deployed in defensive positions too, in order to protect a lead, which displays his versatility albeit in a much-refrained way than others. He is defensively culpable and is a slow decision-maker too.
Fellaini is prone to losing possession at threatening positions and tends to make rash challenges in order to compensate for his defensive indiscipline. He became more of a squad player after Nemanja Matic’s arrival, which must have had an impact in his decision of not renewing his contract as such.
Should Arsenal sign him?
Arsenal’s brand of possession-based, free-flowing, attacking football does not bend well with Fellaini. However, we need to remind ourselves that it is the Arsene Wenger brand of football that has been long associated with Arsenal.
Emery might bring in his own set of attributes to the club, and the new manager would require different players to suit his style of football too.
United fans have hardly ever celebrated Marouane’s stay at Manchester, as the player signaled the era of mediocrity in the post-Ferguson era. He was a panic buy in the summer of 2013 and has been very volatile.
He delivers some match-saving moments at times, but rest of the time he has been disappointing, notching substandard performances at a very high rate. If Emery desperately wants him, United could not stop Fellaini from leaving for London.