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Competition from Dortmund
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Back in January 2024, a then 20-year-old Oscar Bobb scored an exquisite late winner in a 3-2 win at St James’ Park. Manchester City would go on to win the Premier League title by one point, and that was pivotal moment. The Norwegian winger excelled for the Sky Blues in the pre-season of 2024 and was expected to be Pep Guardiola’s starting right-winger for the 2024/25 campaign. but a serious injury saw him miss the majority of the season.
“I have a lot, a lot of incredible, good opinions about him,” said Guardiola last year of Bobb. “His intuition is extraordinary. The moment he frees his mind he can do it.” However, following the €72 million signing of Antoine Semenyo earlier this month, it would now appear that Bobb’s future may lie away from the Etihad. The Norwegian is now expected to depart this January.
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The latest reports suggest that Fulham lead the race for his signature. The Cottagers are thought to be in talks to sign Bobb on a permanent deal from Man City, in a proposal thought to be around €40m. German giants Borussia Dortmund also remain keen on the player and are set to decide about bidding or not soon. So why hasn’t it worked out for Bobb at Man City?
Why it hasn’t worked out for Oscar Bobb at Man City
The first reason that Bobb hasn’t become a regular starter at Man City is of course the aforementioned serious injury he suffered on the eve of the 24/25 campaign. A broken leg saw him miss as many as 48 games for club and country. It is always difficult for a player to recover from such a severe injury and Bobb has missed a further 16 matches since with smaller fitness issues. The 22-year-old has however shown fantastic resilience and strength to get back to fitness and actually started the opening three matches in the Premier League this season. But due to more injury concerns and the vast competition at the club he has only started two more since.
That brings us onto the second reason why things haven’t quite gone to plan for Bobb at Man City: the sheer amount of money spent on players in his position. Including Bobb, Man City currently have eight first-team players capable of playing on either wing. Between that octet, there is a total market value of €422m, and the eight of them arrived at the club for a combined €319m in transfer fees. When the likes of Semenyo and Omar Marmoush are arriving for big fees and are on big wages, there is an expectation that they will get a decent share of minutes. That has come at Bobb’s detriment.
Given his injury history, and lack of fitness, a move from Fulham to sign Bobb for a fee in the region of €40m would be a risk, but perhaps a calculated one. Whilst his current market value is only €25m, if he can recreate the form that saw him described by former Man City Director of Football Txiki Begiristain as ‘by far’ the best player in the academy, his value could shoot up. If his injuries persist and he is unable to show he is the player he once was, it may backfire.
