Ansu Fati raises doubts in Monaco

Ansu Fati's future with AS Monaco raises some questions, despite the good start the Spanish-Guinean player had with the French team last season. Christopher Ro, a journalist for "Nice Matin" and a close follower of AS Monaco news, believes that the former FC Barcelona forward still needs to prove his ability to maintain his level and overcome his physical issues.

Ansu Fati has ended his association with FC Barcelona this summer, after spending 14 years at the Catalan club, and has made a permanent move to AS Monaco for €11 million, having played for the French team on loan last season.

Ansu Fati's career has seen a noticeable decline since suffering a serious injury to his meniscus, as he has lost some of his speed and explosive power, while maintaining his ability to read the game and score. Additionally, recurring injuries have forced him to change his style, becoming a more positioned player instead of heavily relying on bursts of pace and dribbling.

Despite his physical struggles, Ansu Fati made a strong start with AS Monaco last season, before health issues hindered his continuity. After being repurposed as a second striker, he finished the season with 12 goals, which is his best scoring tally during his professional career, surpassing his best figures with FC Barcelona when he scored 10 goals in the 2022-2023 season, prompting AS Monaco to activate the purchase clause in his contract.

However, Fati suffered from calf pain last August, which led the coaching and medical staff to handle his return with caution, before he appeared again last Saturday in a friendly match against Pisa, where he started in AS Monaco's 2-0 victory.

Felipe Luis praised Ansu Fati's return, saying: "He is a wonderful player on the ball, and he has a lot of abilities. He can create chances easily, and I think he created two opportunities that could have turned into assists. He also put in a great effort defensively and gave everything he had. We also need to try to position him close to the penalty area as much as possible, because sometimes he drops back too much and doesn't exploit the spaces. We need to work on that because he is very dangerous near the goal."

However, Christopher Ro does not seem completely convinced of Fati's ability to regain his best levels, stating: "It's hard for me to believe in this player. I have the impression that he shines only intermittently, and that his physical condition is still fragile."

The journalist added that Fati "needs to put in more effort in defensive work", pointing out that the player "performed above expectations last season". However, he left the door open for the possibility of being surprised, saying: "I could be wrong, and perhaps he will have a good season."

Ro has questioned AS Monaco's decision to sign Ansu Fati permanently, stating that he has not done enough to justify this move. He explained: "Despite his effectiveness, he did not participate enough last season."

He concluded his remarks with a message reflecting the extent of the decline that Fati has experienced since his dazzling start with FC Barcelona, stating: "It is unfortunate that Ansu has not been able to maintain the level he showed at the beginning."