The rumour mill is already clanking into gear for the summer window and a rather intriguing subplot is beginning to take shape. Artem Dovbyk, the Ukra...
The rumour mill is already clanking into gear for the summer window and a rather intriguing subplot is beginning to take shape. Artem Dovbyk, the Ukrainian striker who has often cut a frustrated figure in the Italian capital, is being strongly linked with a move back to the familiar arms of his old Girona head coach. Michel, now tasked with rebuilding Ajax's attacking identity, is reportedly keen to reunite with the forward who thrived under his system in La Liga.It is a move that makes a great deal of sense when you peel back the layers. Dovbyk's time at Roma has been a curious mixture of raw promise and tactical compromise. He is a forward who feasts on service, on runners from deep, and on a team that builds play through the thirds with purpose. Roma, for all their passion and grit, have rarely provided that stable platform this season. The result A striker who looks isolated, a little heavy in the legs, and nowhere near the clinical finisher who bagged the Pichichi Trophy in Spain.Michel, by contrast, knows exactly how to unlock that version of Dovbyk. At Girona, the striker was the focal point of a fluid, high energy attacking machine. He was not just a penalty box poacher; he dropped deep, linked play, and bullied defenders with his physicality. Ajax, who have spent the last eighteen months trying to rediscover their identity after a series of false dawns, need a centre forward who can hold the ball up and provide a reference point in the final third. Dovbyk fits that profile like a glove.Could this be the resolution that suits all parties Roma would likely recoup a significant portion of their investment, Ajax would land a proven goalscorer with experience in a competitive league, and Dovbyk would escape a situation that is slowly eroding his confidence. It is still very early days, of course, but the logic is sound. Sometimes the best moves are the ones that take a player back to a manager who knows exactly what buttons to press. GoalZaza understands that talks are at a preliminary stage, but the trajectory is clear. Watch this space.
