Ilyas Ansah is on the verge of leaving Union Berlin for Hull City, with the Bundesliga club set to break their transfer sale record, according to multiple reports.
Bild has mentioned a fee of €22 million for the 21-year-old forward, while Sky Germany claims the deal could be worth up to €24 million, including bonuses.
Florian Först, a scouting expert at German football website Kickfieber.de , has followed Ansah's development for several years and has been impressed by the progress the striker has made throughout his young career.
"Ilyas Ansah was one of the most exciting attacking players in the Bundesliga last season, not just at Union Berlin. One of the reasons for this lies in his career path, as Ansah did not enter professional football via the direct route," Först told Bulinews.com .
"Instead, the versatile attacker worked hard to advance his career, moving from Bochum's youth academy through Eintracht Dortmund and Sportfreunde Siegen before finally arriving at SC Paderborn. There, Ansah steadily worked his way up, increasingly leveraging the exceptional athletic attributes that have now catapulted him into the Premier League after just one Bundesliga season."
The 21-year-old is a versatile, athletic and hard-working attacker who can operate on the left wing or as part of a two-man strike partnership.
"Ansah is capable of playing both as a left winger and as part of a two-man strike partnership. His high work rate when playing without the ball makes this possible. Even in the 2. Bundesliga, he was one of the league's most defensively effective attacking players, standing out through his tackling, numerous defensive actions, and interceptions. He is now demonstrating these same qualities at Union Berlin. This intense style of play and professional attitude is undoubtedly a product of his career path, which required him to constantly push to his absolute limits and leave everything on the pitch," Först explained.
"However, his primary strengths naturally lie in attacking play and ball possession. He excels particularly at driving the game forward with progressive runs and launching counter-attacks. He posted impressive statistics in these categories over the last two seasons. Furthermore, the 1.97-meter-tall attacker uses his athleticism, high speed, and solid technique to beat opponents in one-on-one situations. While he was one of the strongest players in the second division, winning almost 62 percent of his dribbles, this rate dropped slightly in the Bundesliga. Nevertheless, it is still at a solid level.
"Furthermore, Ansah is distinguished by his passing game. While he often opts for the safe option, he executes these passes cleanly for the most part, resulting in a solid pass completion rate for an attacker."
Alongside those strengths, however, there are several areas in which Ansah still has "significant room for improvement", according to Först.
"This starts with his threat level in front of goal. Last season, the 21-year-old scored all five of his goals during the first half of the campaign. From matchday 15 onwards, there was only one direct goal involvement. Consequently, Ansah urgently needs to work on his efficiency, as currently only about 16 percent of his shots actually find the back of the net," he said.
"At the same time, the priority for Ansah next season will be to continue his development without undue pressure. During his debut season in the top flight, it was evident that he occasionally struggled in one-on-one duels and found it difficult to assert himself against opponents. He needs to learn from this first season at Union and regain his ability to impose himself physically. He will be facing a higher caliber of opposition in the Premier League, after all.
"One final aspect to consider is his aerial game. Despite standing nearly two meters tall, Ansah poses little threat in the air; last Bundesliga season, he won only around 27 percent of his aerial duels. There is clearly plenty of room for improvement regarding his positioning, timing, and aerial assertiveness."
Despite his current limitations, Först believes Ansah has the profile to succeed in the Premier League, with his physical and athletic qualities making him a good fit for Hull City and English football.
"All in all, Hull City is acquiring a talented attacker whose profile suggests he could be a great fit for the Premier League. His athleticism, combined with his usual physical assertiveness, could benefit the Tigers' transition play and add an exciting dynamic. If Ansah can also work on his weaknesses while maintaining his strong work ethic, Hull City can be congratulated on securing a bargain signing," he concluded.
