Oh dear. Just when the club's hierarchy finally has a transfer strategy we can all get behind, they bring it tumbling down by signing a lad whose name is entirely devoid of cheesy pop associations or puerile punning potential. Typical. It's this degree of boardroom incompetence that has us all up in arms. Quite clearly an indication of PIF losing interest in the project, if you ask me.
On the plus side, Amar Dedić does have a lovely Balkan diacritic on the last letter of his name, so the Slavonic keyboard I downloaded to my phone just to type our new keeper’s name hasn't gone to waste. Even if it makes my autocorrect typing errors increasingly čomíć.
But what of footballing matters? What kind of full-back are we getting? Is he worth the money? Can we drop him straight in on Sunday?
Well, you'll all know by now that the lad was schooled in the Red Bull system and rose to prominence playing under Jaissle at Salzburg. He might be a Bosnian national - with 41 caps and three 90-minutes performances at this summer's World Cup for a team officially better than the tinpot nation of our Moretti-drinking former midfielder - but he was born in Austria and started off at Sturm Graz before transferring into the Salzburg youth set-up at the age of 14.
From there he was something of a prodigy. In July 2019, aged only 16, he made his debut in the Austrian 2nd division for FC Liefering, the Salzburg feeder club where Jaissle would get his first managerial break. He would go on to play in 50 of their 60 league games over the next two seasons. Then, in 2021-22, it was a loan stint at Wolfsberger AC in the Carinthian mountains, or RZ Pellets WAC to give them their official name, after their sponsorship tie-up with Austria's biggest wood pellet manufacturer. Really.
Full of unreleased energy and readily combustible, Dedić started every match as the Wolves finished 4th and reached the semis of the Austrian Cup. That was enough to make him a starter for Salzburg the following year under Jaissle. Still only 19 at the start of the 22-23 season, he was first choice right back for the Austrian Champions for the next two and a half seasons, racking up 95 appearances. A brief loan spell at Marseille was followed by a permanent transfer to Benfica for £10m last summer.
He might have only just turned 24, but Dedić already has nearly 250 matches and eight seasons of first-team experience, six of them in the top flight. If only ten of those games have been in one of the top five European leagues, then maybe that's offset by the fact that 29 of them have been in the Champions League group or knockout stages. That's experience we sorely need. As is the versatility that's seen more than 40 of those appearances come at left back, with a further ten at centre-back, and six in midfield.
A total of 16 goals and 26 assists suggests a full back with attacking instincts, even if only one of those goals has come in the last two seasons. Those who’ve worked with him confirm that his athleticism and work rate are his most notable qualities, as you might expect for a Red Bull player. Think overlapping modern full back who plays high up the pitch and also comes inside to link up play. That means that there’s still some work to do defensively and positionally. Those of you who watched him get roasted by Gordon at St. James’ last season probably know what I mean, even if he scarcely got much help from his teammates that night in a thoroughly rotten display from Mourinho’s team.
There's certainly no sense that Benfica wanted to get rid. By all accounts, new boss Marco Silva was keen and he’s been a popular figure with coaches and fans alike wherever he's played. He's definitely a tryer with a strong mentality, born, so it's said, from a childhood of humble origins as the child of Bosnian immigrants in the Austrian Alps. Accordingly, he's featured in the leadership group at previous clubs. His disciplinary record - two red cards last season and a healthy smattering of yellows throughout his career - suggest a much-needed edge in a squad that could do with rediscovering its dirty side.
Perhaps the most worrying side of his career so far is his injury record. In those eight first-team seasons, he's only once played 30 or more league matches, and niggly muscular injuries have become an irritant in recent seasons. Five matches were missed last season, seven the season before, and eleven the season before that.
There's nothing to suggest Dedić is an absolute top-class full-back, and the fee feels a little on the high side given the price Benfica paid only a year ago. No change there then. But the attractions are obvious. Two-footed and able to cover for either of the highly injury-prone incumbents, he'll surely see a lot of game time, especially given his familiarity with the Jaissle system. It seems unlikely he'll shore things up decisively at the back, but he'll bring experience, a physical dimension, and a strong work ethic. I'd bite your hand off for those qualities right now - he has to play on Sunday.
Oh and don't bet against him playing more matches this season then either of his supposedly more talented rivals.
Matthew Philpotts
Image: Werner100359, CC BY-SA 4.0 via wikicommons
I think I’m gonna love him.
Who doesn’t like a marauding full back who Dedićates himself to the team……I know, I know, f-off Mark.
Great stuff. Thanks for the research and taking the time, Matthew.
Thanks for the research Matthew.
A great read.
I'm hoping he becomes a club stalwart.
Well at least until one of the cartel clubs want him.
Howay the rebuiding Lads