Who is Oscar Gloukh? The Israeli wonderkid wanted by Man Utd and Barcelona

Tom Weber
Tom Weber
  • 5 Jul 2023 20:33 BST
  • 4 min read
Red Bull Salzburg youngster Oscar Gloukh
© ProShots

Oscar Gloukh's performances for club and country are attracting interest from Europe's biggest sides.

Several high-profile teams have already inquired about the 19-year-old Israeli and more sides are joining the race to sign him by the day. But who is the Red Bull Salzburg star and how good is he? FootballTransfers has the answers.

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What position does Gloukh play in?

Gloukh is mostly utilised as a central attacking midfielder, though he has also operated a bit deeper and out wide on occasion.

How good is Gloukh?

A diminutive, 170cm (5ft 7in) creator, the Israeli impressed last season and he carried his good form over into the U21 European Championship as his country reached the semi-final stage.

Gloukh started the bygone campaign at his youth club Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel's top division. In January, he was snapped up by Red Bull Salzburg in a deal worth €7 million. He finished the campaign with six goals and 10 assists to his name, two goals and assists coming in 15 Austrian Bundesliga games.

In 2021/22, Gloukh scored 16 goals for Maccabi's U19s. A technically gifted and mobile attacking midfielder, the 19-year-old also impresses with his game IQ, always being aware of what's around him.

The Salzburg star made his debut for the senior Israeli national team in late 2022 and he has already scored twice in just six outings so far. At the U21 Euros, he was a regular in Israel's team, operating across several different offensive positions and scoring the winning penalty in the quarter-final against Georgia.

What clubs are interested in Gloukh?

According to The Guardian, Arsenal, the two Manchester giants and Tottenham are the big Premier League sides keeping an eye on Gloukh.

Moreover, Barcelona are still interested in the youngster, having already tried to sign him when he made the decision to leave Israel. Villarreal, Monaco and AC Milan are also credited with being keen on the player, as are - unsurprisingly - Salzburg's sister club Leipzig.

The player is said to only be interested in moving to England or Spain, however.

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When does Gloukh's contract expire?

Given that he only signed for Salzburg in January 2023, his contract still runs until June 30, 2027.

How old is Gloukh?

Gloukh was born on April 1, 2004, making him 19 years old.

What is Gloukh's Instagram?

His Instagram is @oscar.gloukh and has 70.2k followers as of July 5, 2023.

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