Paul Robinson warns Leeds United they could be taking a gamble by signing Azzedine Ounahi from Angers this month despite him impressing at the World Cup with Morocco.
Ounahi, 22, was a stand-out player in Qatar as Morocco became the first African national to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
He’s since been the subject of a lot of speculation at Angers with Fabrizio Romano reporting on Saturday (14 January) that Leeds are now in talks to sign the Casablanca-born central midfielder.
Robinson was impressed by Ounahi at the World Cup but he’s warned that moving to the Premier League midway through the season – when you’ve never played in England before – could be tough.
“He looks to potentially be a good player,” Robinson told
“In January, you’re always risking it when you’re signing players who haven’t got Premier League experience.
“You’ll get some big successes where players have come from overseas and hit the ground running in January. But you get other players who can take 12 months.
“If you sign a player of that kind of calibre – yes, he looks like a top player – you have to adapt because it’s the best and the fastest league in the world.
“It’s different to any league that other players have played in.”
Ounahi has plauyed 14 times for Angers this season in Ligue 1.
He’s not played for them since 5 November and the French outfit are on a 10-match losing streak that sees them sit bottom of the table.
