Man United's Tahith Chong Joins Birmingham City on a Permanent Deal

Manchester United youngster Tahith Chong has completed his move to tier-2 English side Birmingham City on a permanent deal. The United academy graduate spent the last season on loan with the Championship side and will now return to the club on a permanent transfer.

The two clubs have agreed upon a fee, believed to be around £1.5m, for the Dutch winger. Chong impressed during his loan spell at St Andrew’s before a thigh injury cut short his time. He signed a five-year contract with the Blues after taking a pay-cut.

The Red Devils have added Antony in Chong’s primary position. The former Feyenoord youngster has made 16 first-team appearances for the Manchester club (stats via transfermarkt), the last of which came in the Europa League in August 2020.

He joined United in 2016 after the Dutch side failed to include him in bigger plans. He made his professional debut in 2019 in an FA Cup game. The Dutch youngster has featured 16 times for the United senior team, acquiring 2 assists in the process.

Player Profile

Tahith Chong graduated from the youth system at Feyenoord. Despite being a wide attacking player, the Netherlands Under-21 international has, at times, played the role of a central midfielder. The winger spent the 2021–22 season on loan at Birmingham City, where he impressed with the English side. But, he suffered a setback after injuries cut short his development.

Chong’s pace is always a handful for opposition full-backs as he can time his runs, and wait for the opportune moment to make a dart beyond the defender and probe into space. Here, Chong feints to make a run, which attracts the full-back and puts the defender off balance; then once the ball is played through, he is able to get on the wrong side of the opponent and sprint into the space behind.

Tahith Chong to Birmingham City is done and completed. Permanent move from Manchester Utd with big pay cut for Tahith. 🚨🔵 #BCFC #MUFC #DeadlineDay

Plan confirmed — medical booked. https://t.co/gqSXkafvI3

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2022

Overall, the 22-year-old has accumulated 30 goals and 33 assists in 138 games (stats via Transfermarkt) across all competitions, both senior and junior. However, the Dutchman has gone without featuring in any competitive game for the Red Devils since 2020. Since then, he has gone out on loan spells to Werder Bremen in Germany and Club Brugge in Belgium.

Verdict

Tahith Chong does not seem to be in the plans of new boss Erik ten Hag. And adding to that, his contract situation at Manchester United – it was preferable for the club to sell the winger this summer. The Red Devils can use the funds to offset the books.

The St. Andrews switch is a good one for the Dutchman, as he is already familiar with the operations at the club. He will join another United academy star, Hannibal Mejbri, who has joined the Blues on a season-long loan. Chong played 20 games in the Championship for Lee Bowyer’s men last term before a groin injury led to him going under the knife and subsequently missing most of the second part of the season.

Manchester United triggered a 12-month extension to ensure Tahith Chong didn’t leave the club on a free transfer this summer, similar to his former United teammate Dylan Levitt who re-joined Dundee United earlier in the summer having spent the last season on loan with the Tangerines.

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