Anis Hadj Moussa has been backed to make the jump to Manchester City, with one Dutch coach insisting the Feyenoord winger is every bit as dangerous as Jeremy Doku.
The 2027 transfer talk around the France-born Algeria international keeps growing in the Netherlands. Last week former Denmark international Kenneth Perez said he wasn’t good enough for Manchester City or Liverpool. Robert Maaskant, now in charge of Tuvalu, sees it very differently.
One thing needs saying straight away, though. There’s no credible sign yet that City have actually shown interest in him. This is a coach’s opinion, not a bid.
Why is Anis Hadj Moussa being linked with Man City?
Mostly because of his numbers. Hadj Moussa joined Feyenoord in July 2024 and has 32 goals and 15 assists in 96 matches since. Seven of those goals and three of the assists have come this season.
City fans may remember him already. In his debut season he scored in the 3-3 Champions League draw against the Citizens, and Dennis te Kloese, the Dutch club’s sporting director at the time, joked afterwards about selling him to City.
He was expected to leave Feyenoord last summer, with Newcastle United linked, but the move never came. The Dutch press now see a big transfer in 2027 as the more likely outcome.
‘He can play there too’
Maaskant told Sportnieuws that he doesn’t share Perez’s doubts, and that the winger is judged on how he does in Europe rather than against the bottom half of the Eredivisie.
He said: “With all due respect to the teams in the Eredivisie, making moves against the bottom nine teams in the league doesn’t impress, not even internationally. In the Champions League, it does.”
He added: “I enjoy watching that player. There are very few in the world who can make a move so effortlessly. Let’s hope he stays at Feyenoord for another six months. Then they will really be in the title race.”
Then came the City comparison. Maaskant had watched Jeremy Doku on Saturday, the afternoon Enzo Maresca’s side lost at home to Brighton, and came away thinking Hadj Moussa would fit in at the Etihad.
“I was watching Manchester City for a bit on Saturday, and then I think: he can play there too,” he said. “I watched Jeremy Doku on Saturday; admittedly, he plays from the left side, he might be a bit more explosive and a bit fiercer, but Hadj Moussa is just as threatening.”
How much would the Feyenoord winger cost?
Maaskant reckons the price hasn’t moved. Feyenoord wanted €40m for him in the summer, and he doesn’t think that figure “will have decreased after his performances.”
He also thinks City aren’t the only possible destination: “I can see him playing in Spain just as easily. Especially in Italy.” His prediction is that the player will “choose the big money”, and he wouldn’t call that unwise.
A €40m fee for a winger with Champions League goals on his record is the sort of deal City have been happy to look at. They have been busy watching young attackers across Europe, from the Dortmund teenager who broke a Christian Pulisic record to a Porto player who caught their eye at the Dragão.
Would Hadj Moussa be a smart Man City signing?
I’d put this firmly in the “watch this space” pile. A big-money move in 2027 makes sense for a player with these numbers, but until City actually show their hand, Maaskant’s comments are a compliment, not a transfer story.
The Doku comparison is the bit that matters. City already have a direct, one-v-one winger, so Hadj Moussa would need to offer something different to justify €40m, and Maresca would have to see him as more than cover. If he keeps scoring in the Champions League, though, the Etihad won’t be the only club asking the question.
