How good is Joshua Zirkzee? Man United complete signing of Bologna star

5-year-deal signed 

From Disneyland to the Euros, it’s already been a turbulent summer for Joshua Zirkzee. A late call up to the Netherlands squad due to injuries elsewhere meant the Dutchman had to give Mickey Mouse the elbow to represent his country in Germany. It will add to what will already likely be a dramatic summer for the 23 year old. AC Milan and Arsenal had been linked with Zirkzee but on Sunday afternoon, just a few hours before the final of Euro 2024, Manchester United confirmed the signing of the Bologna star on a five-year deal.  

“Having had discussions with the manager and the leaders of the club I know how exciting the future is going to be here and I cannot wait to play my part in achieving success for Manchester United,” said Zirkzee on the Old Trafford club’s website. “I am a player who has always dedicated everything to winning; I’m ready for this next challenge, to go to another level in my career and win more trophies. It is a privilege to join such an iconic club. I have to take a short break now after being with the national team, but I’ll be coming back ready to make an impact straight away.”

Zirkzee’s market value exploded last season. He had a decent return of 11 goals and five assists in 34 games Serie A games for Bologna, but his performances and potential have led to his value sky-rocketing. Zirkzee joined Bologna for just €8.5m in the summer of 2022 and as part of the latest Serie A market value update in May we saw his market value rise to €50m. Over the 2023/24 season, Zirkzee’s market value increased by +€41m – the ninth biggest upgrade across the whole of Europe.

A product of the Feyenoord and Bayern Munich academies, Zirkzee was highly regarded with the Bavarian giants but struggled for playing time. Bayern have a reported buy-back option worth between €20-25m, with the Bundesliga giants also set to earn 50% of Sunday’s confiremed deal. Now that Manchester United have activated his release clause, Bologna will only receive around €20m for him, with the other €20m heading to the Allianz Arena. The fact Bayern installed both those contract options shows the club believed in the Dutchman’s potential despite selling him to Bologna. 

“Last season, he finally took the long-awaited step forward,” Transfermarkt Area Manager for Italy, Jatin Dietl, said. “He started to score regularly.” The market for centre-forwards has been particularly bullish as there is a high demand for physical strikers right now. After years in which clubs have neglected the production of that type of player, there is a relatively short supply of that player. That’s one of the reasons why the likes of Rasmus Højlund demanded a €74m transfer fee last summer despite still being relatively unproven at the highest level. 

But what sort of player is Zirkzee? “He is a very fast centre-forward despite his physical size,” Dietl said. “Physically strong, very good in the air, good shooting technique, and good at defending the ball and pressing. Gifted with excellent quality, he became one of the most technical strikers in Serie A. He often drops back to the Trequartista line and even further behind, moving freely across the entire offensive front. Zirkzee is a complete forward who scores in every way, proving extremely unpredictable to opposing defenders.” 

What does that look like in numbers? The eleven Serie A goals scored this season rank the striker joint fifteenth in the division, 13 behind golden boot winner Lautaro Martínez. Those numbers are encouraging, but they also highlight room for improvement. That growth will be necessary if Zirkzee wants to make the step up to a top European top club. If it is to be Man United, there will be high expectations for a good start following a disappointing season for the club – Zirkzee will be expected to hit the ground running.