Ozil: The Magician

Despite the proliferation of talent over the past decade, the price of £42 million seemed like a bargain for Ozil, one which Arsenal boss Wenger uncharacteristically grabbed with both hands, and one which has paid great dividends. With Ozil’s performances throughout the duration of his time at Real Madrid, some would argue a greater price tag should have been placed on Ozil, despite now becoming the most expensive German player of all time.

Real Madrid bought Ozil for an amount in the region of £12 million in 2010 from German side Werder Bremen. Congratulations to Arsenal on signing one of the world’s most intelligent players, however, why would Real Madrid allow a player described by Ruud Gullit, one of soccers greats, as “technically perfect”, to leave? He remains one of the most underrated players in the world; his humble demeanour off and on the pitch, his unquestionable ability and sportsmanship on the pitch also makes him one of the best midfielders in the sport has ever seen.

But could this be the reason why he failed to survive the pressures of the Bernabeu? Let’s face it, unless you are Ronaldo or Messi, it is unlikely that you’ll ever find yourself being as important as the club you play for.

Whilst in his native Germany, Ozil displayed performances him bring in double-figured assists on a season-by-season basis. There were 15 in his first season for Bremen with 3 goals, and 9 goals plus 17 assists in 31 Bundesliga appearances in his second. The next season saw Ozil finish with 25 assists in all competitions, the highest by any player in the world and this achievement placed him on the shortlist for 2011-12’s Ballon d’Or the following year, where he even managed to improve his season tally to 26 assists.

Due to the high demand for players with a high capacity for assisting attacking play around the world, even Real Madrid seemed to be punishing themselves through his sale, and have since relied on the ability of their new signing, Luka Modric from Tottenham, whilst focusing on the proliferation of their hot prospects – including the Brazilian Casemiro and the impressive Spaniard Isco.

In terms of impact, Ozil was, and has been the unrivalled master of assists to every team he has played for. Ozil has continued to bring the sort of contribution that players rarely illustrate these days; he represents the perfection of the Classic No.10 position, following in the footsteps of players such as Riquelme, Zidane and Maradona, and continuing on his legacy which will be remembered for years to come.

Is Chelsea Headed in the Right Direction?

The sale of Chelsea star Juan Mata to ‘direct rivals’, Manchester United for £37 million is one that has evoked disbelief in the hearts of many Chelsea fans.

In his first two years at the club, the Spanish international won Chelsea’s Player of the Season, producing many fine performances to confirm his position as one of the best creative players in the Premier League. His performances in a Chelsea shirt to date have left many Chelsea fans questioning Mourinho’s decision to oust Mata, and make him surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho’s main argument is from a tactical perspective. He claims that Oscar and Mata cannot play together in the no.10 role and therefore, the “harder working” Oscar is more beneficial to the team in that position. Oscar is of course a fine creative talent, but his willingness to regain possession in dangerous parts of opposition territory, is something which Mourinho respects and  requires, especially when playing with two ‘out and out’ wingers in the form of Eden Hazard and Willian.

When the “happy one” returned to Chelsea this summer, he made it immediately clear that his team would no longer revolve around one player and that Mata would have to adapt his style to fit into Mourinho’s formation. Whether this decision has proved fruitful or not is debatable. Chelsea are in the hunt for the title and have plenty of strength in depth in midfield, however his decision to sell the Spaniard could become costly if Oscar or Hazard begin to lose form or are injured.

The decision to sell Mata is a calculated risk, but the decision comes as no surprise when we consider Mourinho’s at times frayed relationships with many Spanish players, Xabi Alonso a possible exception. Even greater the risk when you are selling one of your best players to Manchester United, whatever their current circumstance is. The suggestions that this is a clever move from Mourinho to damage Arsenal and Manchester City’s title chances; letting Mata move to United, who are still to play the aforementioned title challengers – I’m sure has some substance, but there’s more to it than that.

This transfer represents a change in direction at Stamford Bridge. It’s a clear sign from Chelsea, that not only are they wary of the quite frankly ridiculous Financial Fair Play rules, which in my opinion are fundamentally flawed and punish small clubs for unaccountable losses which are beyond there control, but they are beginning to be more stringent with their financial affairs.

Chelsea will spend less as a club but they’ll still look to compete on the international transfer market – there’s no chance of that not happening whilst Abramovich remains owner. Chelsea no longer want to have to be mindful of their precarious positioning when it comes to Financial Fair Play, a view shared by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

They’re having to take notice of the rules that will restrict the losses clubs can make each season and although this will seemingly not prohibit their spending, as the arrivals of Nemanja Matic and Mohamad Salah show, they will at least attempt to balance the books.

Neymar Transfer Investigation

The controversy surrounding the transfer of Brazilian superstar Neymar to Spanish Liga football club Barcelona is to be investigated by a Spanish court, as it was announced today (Thursday).

Neymar was in June unveiled as a €57.1m ($77.7m) signing from Brazilian Campeonato Serie A club Santos, but the precise terms of the deal were not revealed at the time with Barcelona citing a confidentiality agreement. However, Barcelona last week revealed that it paid €40m to a company owned by the parents of Neymar as part of the transfer deal to acquire the Brazilian forward.

The exact terms of the transfer have come under increasing scrutiny in recent months and Barcelona said that the payment of €40m to N&N Consultoria Esportiva and Empresarial Ltd was disclosed “from the first moment” as part of the €57.1m total transfer fee for Neymar. Sao Paulo-based N&N is reportedly owned by the 21-year-old’s parents and Spanish state prosecutors backed a legal challenge launched by club member Jordi Cases, who had demanded clarity over the terms of the transfer.

Prosecutors called for a hearing after having decided that there were sufficient grounds to believe there could be a case of “contractual simulation,” and the Reuters news agency today said that Judge Pablo Ruz had decided to open a hearing. The judge will seek more information from Neymar, Santos and Barcelona, while a decision will be made at a later date over whether club president Sandro Rosell will be called in person to provide evidence. On the basis of the evidence already received, an order from the judge on Wednesday stated: “It leads to the conclusion that the facts given by the complainant are plausible in being a crime of misappropriation as laid down in article 252 of the penal code.”

Today’s development comes after Monday’s press conference to unveil Barcelona’s plans for the redevelopment of its Nou Camp stadium was dominated by questions concerning the Neymar deal. Spanish newspaper El Mundo had earlier claimed that the transfer was actually worth €95m and Rosell on Monday said that he would be willing to give evidence in a bid to clear his name.

Whether or not this Neymar case is turning into a huge scandal is beside the fact that he is one of the best young footballers in todays game and this should not be used against him to tarnish his image.

What Juan Mata's Transfer Means for Chelsea

All you've heard in the last few days from the soccer world is all the hype and controversy surrounding the huge money deal proposed by Manchester United for Chelsea FC's midfielder Juan Mata. Everywhere I've looked I've seen news about this transfer, and being a Chelsea fan myself I have a lot of mixed feelings on the topic.

My first reaction to this big transfer deal was shock and awe at how dumb Jose Mourinho the manager of Chelsea could be. If you look at the last two seasons at Chelsea, Mata has arguably been the best player at the club, and therefore I couldn't see why Mourinho would be willing to let him go, especially to a club like Manchester United. The English Premier League is all to familiar with letting great players go to their bitter rival teams. As I thought about it more I just couldn't figure out what was going on, until I listened to a reporter interview Jose Mourinho on Fox Soccer Channel. As he was being interviewed he was asked what he was thinking when it came to the transfer of Juan Mata. With cool composure he looked the camera in the eye and told the reporter that even though Mata had been such a vital role in the system in previous years, Chelsea had reached a new era and they had younger, and more talented players that he wanted to build the team around. When I heard this it all made a lot more sense. As a manager if you have such a talented side as Chelsea does, then you're faced with the tough reality that eventually players will come in and that means other players have to be shown the exit. For me as a Chelsea fan, I trust Jose Mourinho enough to know that if he says he has plans for the team that don't revolve around Mata then he knows exactly what he's doing and has an even better plan following the Spaniards leave.

So for all those Chelsea fans out there worried about this capsizing Chelsea's chances this season, worry no longer. Have faith in Mourinho and understand that the club is moving on to bigger and better things, even if it means doing it without one of the teams top players.