Bayer Leverkusen have decided not to sign Fatawu Abdul Issahaku after dubious and disrespectful behavior by the player's advisor.

The indications that Bayer would like to sign the 17-year-old talent from Ghana were clear after the club met the player earlier this week alongside his representatives at the Lindner Hotel Bayarena in Leverkusen. 

But the transfer will not take place according to Kicker. In purely sporting terms, Bayer would have liked to have made the deal happen. 

Fatawu, who can play on the wings, but also centrally behind the striker, is considered a highly talented player, whose services Bayer would not have been able to fall back on until the 2022/2023 season.

Because before his 18th birthday, Fatawu, who will come of age in March 2022, is not allowed to sign a professional contract. He would not have received a game permit before that. 

The left-footed player, who was voted player of the tournament in February at the Africa Cup for U-20 as a 16-year-old, would have continued to play for Steadfast FC until March next season.

Dubious and disrespectful behavior by Fatawu's advisor

These framework conditions were clear to Bayer from the start. All sides seemed to be in agreement. But on Wednesday morning, when the deal was about to be watertight, matters took an unexpected turn.

"Fatawu is a highly talented player and Bayer made a very good offer," says Michael Ruhnau, who put Bayer and Fatawu's agent in contact, "but I can understand those responsible for Bayer because of dubious and disrespectful behavior from Fatawu's advisors they have refrained from the transfer."

Background

On Wednesday, Fatawu's advisor cancelled the second and final date for sealing the deal with Bayer at short notice. 

Allegedly because the agent may have wanted to meet representatives of Liverpool on the same day. The latter was exposed because Fatawu had posted a video from his hotel room, during which a corresponding telephone conversation could be heard in the background, during which a meeting in Portugal was arranged for Wednesday afternoon. This meant that the Fatawu theme was over for Bayer 04 despite his talent.

The advisor's approach apparently has a method. Fatawu's agent has been peddling clubs like FC Basel, RSC Anderlecht, RB Salzburg, Ajax, BVB and Liverpool since March to drive up the price. Where Fatawu gets the best opportunity to develop seems to be of much less importance for the advisor.