Perfect: FSV Mainz 05 brings in Anwar El Ghazi – without a club but valuable

Without a contract since September 1st

Bundesliga bottom team 1. FSV Mainz 05 has once again strengthened its offensive following the transfer deadline: with Anwar El Ghazi, one of the most valuable clubless professionals is moving to Rheinhessen. The 28-year-old right winger has signed until the end of the 2024/25 season.

Signing a player after the transfer deadline – in the Bundesliga this is only possible between the summer and winter transfer windows due to the rules – is nothing new for Mainz: Kevin Stöger (30) signed on October 7th in 2020, two days after the pandemic postponed Deadline Day and Ivan Klasnic joined the FSV on September 4th in 2012.

With a market value of 5 million euros, El Ghazi is the third most valuable player since the introduction of market values ​​on Transfermarkt in 2004, who moves to a Bundesliga club after the transfer closes. Only his Mainz predecessor in this discipline, Stöger, was valued higher with 6 million euros and Dan-Axel Zagadou (24), who signed with VfB Stuttgart on September 19th after leaving BVB last year, valued at 9 million euros .

New Mainz player El Ghazi was also offered to Manchester United

The two-time Dutch national player terminated his contract with PSV Eindhoven, which was originally valid until 2025, on September 1st. The reason: Too little chance of playing time. El Ghazi was briefly linked to Manchester United and was said to have been offered to the English record champions.

The winger, who became a professional at Ajax Amsterdam, played 31 games for PSV last season and collected eleven scorer points, mostly as a joker. Eindhoven signed him in the summer of 2022 for 2.5 million euros from Aston Villa, which brought him from LOSC Lille for a total of 11 million euros from 2018. In the Premier League he played 73 times for the “Villans” and on loan for Everton and was directly involved in 20 goals.

The commitment increases the offensive options for coach Bo Svensson in Mainz after the loss of Nelson Weiper (18). As the FSV confirmed on Thursday, the U21 national player underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee after persistent complaints since the home game against Eintracht Frankfurt (1-1). Weiper, who is supposed to begin rehabilitation measures immediately, is therefore “not available at the moment”.

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