Freek Jansen, the editor-in-chief of Voetbal International, has made it clear he is not a fan of AZ striker Weslley Patati, expressing his views on the VI ZSM podcast.
AZ paid a club-record €7.3 million to sign him from Maccabi Tel Aviv last summer, and his boyhood club Santos still owns 40% of his economic rights.
On Thursday the Brazilian played 73 minutes in a 3–0 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk, a side packed with fellow countrymen who, unlike Patati, excelled.
Jansen’s verdict is blunt: “Money down the drain. He’s a mediocre winger, really just an average player so far.”
“He’s still adjusting, it’s his first season, but what he’s showing just isn’t good enough. Shakhtar sat deep, which didn’t help, but even when he had the ball it was underwhelming,” says the journalist.
“You sense he is a sensitive, left-footed technician who can be creative with the ball, but that never comes out—at least not in Alkmaar.”
“Normally, AZ’s scouting department is pretty good; they’re often spot on. With Patati, they’ll probably be thinking themselves that it’s about time it came to fruition,” Jansen concludes.