A former Everton Academy hopeful has explained his decision to leave the club after a five-year spell as a youth player.
Mohamed-Ali Cho, 18, joined the Blues in 2015 after moving to England with his family though the attacker left the club for Ligue 1 side Angers in 2020 after failing to make a first-team appearance at Goodison Park. The teenager signed his first professional contract with the club in May 2020 – becoming the second-youngest player to sign a professional contract in France behind Eduardo Camavinga in the process.
After two years at Angers, Ali was signed by Real Sociedad this summer for a fee of between €12 (£10.2m) to €15million (£12.7m) as he takes the next step on his journey as a professional player.
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Reflecting on his carer to date, the French forward explained how the opportunity to seek a first-team chance away from Everton was influenced by regular playing time but does not regret his decision to join the Blues in the first place.
“We moved (to England) mainly because of my parents’ jobs,” he told El Diario Va sco. “Then I was noticed by Everton, and we chose to play there because they have a very good structure for young players to progress as footballers. It was a good choice.
“The English game is much more intense and aggressive, and the French game is more technical and tactical. I have noticed that English football is more physical in that sense.
“We looked at the club’s sporting project. It was not so much a question of a big or small club but to give more importance to the sporting project. I wanted to improve as a player and have the opportunity to play a lot of matches. At Angers, I could play a lot in the first team, and that is essential for a young player like me.”
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