In some respects, Ayari is more advanced than Caicedo was during the Ecuadorian’s settling-in period at the Amex Stadium. De Zerbi has already used him in the first team, making late substitute appearances in wins against Grimsby Town in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, and in the league at home to
Wolverhampton Wanderers and away to
Bournemouth.
With a place in the
Europa League secured, Ayari was handed a full debut by the Italian in last month’s closing 2-1 defeat at
Aston Villa. It was a tough introduction playing alongside Mac Allister, and he was replaced at half-time with Caicedo as Villa clinched a spot in the Europa Conference League by finishing a place below Brighton in seventh.
Ayari doesn’t face the same language barrier Caicedo encountered — while the South American barely spoke a word of English when he signed, he is fluent in English as well as Swedish and Arabic.
He is looking to build on a promising start once 2023-24 kicks off on the second weekend in August. Speaking to Swedish newspaper Sportbladet, he said: “Next year we might play up to 60 games in a whole season. Then you need a lot of players that you can rotate, because you get tired and worn out from so many matches and trips.
hopeful that Ayari will enhance their reputation in Sweden as a production line for talent.
Alexander Isak — who also began his career at AIK — was exceptional for
Newcastle United in the Premier League last season after signing for a club-record £60million from Spain’s
Real Sociedad in August. Ten goals in 22 league games from the 23-year-old forward helped Eddie Howe’s side qualify for the
Champions League. Robin Quaison, another AIK academy graduate, played for Palermo in Italy and Germany’s Mainz. Now with Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, the 29-year-old forward has been capped 47 times by
Sweden.
Wennberg sees a bright future for Ayari both at club level and on the international stage, believing his style is better suited to the top level in England than the Allsvenskan, its Swedish equivalent.
“It’s a huge jump,” Wennberg says. “In the Premier League, it’s an open game — tempo, fighting; in Sweden, it’s more tactical and not so much about the pace. That’s something we need to develop on a bigger scale. The tempo is slow, everybody seeks control. It’s more of a defensive approach to everything, so Yasin’s style is more suited to the Premier League than Allsvenskan.
“Yasin will play in that (Brighton way). For De Zerbi and Brighton, it’s a perfect match, so right now it’s up to Yasin to take steps, to progress and take opportunities when he gets them.”