Rabat – Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth spoke highly of Moroccan international Bilal El Khannouss, stressing that the midfielder works hard on defense in addition to his attacking skills.
Speaking to German outlet BILD on Monday, Wohlgemuth broke down the specifics behind the Moroccan international’s impressive form.
“Bilal is always right at the forefront when it comes to endurance running and tackling. He also helps out defensively, sometimes dropping back to track back,” Wohlgemuth said.
El Khannouss stood out in Stuttgart’s 4-2 victory against Leverkusen on Saturday, leading all of his teammates in duels won.
BILD reported that El Khannouss is turning into a far more complete player. While Stuttgart management was not always satisfied with his defensive work early last season, the Moroccan international addressed his flaws and significantly improved his off-the-ball game.
That development has drawn major interest from abroad. The German outlet added that Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad offered Stuttgart €40 million and proposed tripling the midfielder’s wages last summer, but El Khannouss rejected the deal.
Galatasaray was also interested in signing El Khannouss. Fatih Demireli, Director of Development at the Turkish club, confirmed to Kicker that they had held positive talks with the player, his agent, and Stuttgart.
However, when it came time to finalize a deal, Galatasaray decided to sign Aleksey Batrakov instead.
The transfer never went through, largely because El Khannouss remains committed to his project at Stuttgart.
Speaking to BILD, the Moroccan international explained that he and the club agreed on a two-year development plan upon his arrival, adding that despite receiving other offers, leaving would not have been the right step for his career.
El Khannouss will look to carry his strong form into Europe on Tuesday when Stuttgart faces Galatasaray in the Champions League.
