Introducing Morata’s Golazo And Nuri Sahin:

By: Bassam | May 4th, 2011

For those who don’t know, Real Madrid Castilla took a huge step last week in their promotion battle by winning 1-3 away from home. Another thing you might or might not know is that we had our very first loveblog for a Castilla game. There was a good turnout, and it was nice to watch a you can say “they are just kids” if someone makes a mistake. What was interesting though, Castilla rarely put a foot wrong aside from all the missed chances. Sarabia in that game was my MOTM. A beautiful Guti-esque assist left me out of my seat applauding our 19 year old talent. Hopefully in a seasons time he will be able to make the jump, as he sure seems like a great talent. Not to start a Canales vs Sarabia debate, but minus the La Liga experience, which counts for a lot i should say, Sarabia and Canales seem to have very similar abilities. Sarabia, for me, edges out Canales for more tactical diversity (can play anywhere upfront). But again, all we have seen Sarabia perform is the CL game, so lets hope he gets the chance sometime to show us his talents in La Liga. Despite Sarabia being the highlight of that game, the big talking point was Morata’s goal. Morata was not a starter for the game as he was sporting a little injury and Joselu has been in great form.

The goal above speaks a lot to me. Not because its a goal from the third division and the last defender was poor, but because it shows aspects of Morata’s game that i think we should look at. As you can see, Morata receives the ball high up the pitch. Rather than control the ball and turn around, which would take time, he manages to flick it around the defender that is behind him and go on the break through. What is nice about this is a couple of things. First off, its nice to see a kid of his age has the awareness of where the defender is on the pitch to pull such a move. This kind of awareness is something that he gained this season from his training with the first team, because it shows a sign of maturity. The second thing i want to note is the speed in which he was able to turn and reach the opposition penalty area. For a big guy (he is 1.91 meters tall), his agility and pace are a great asset. The speed with which he was able to dribble the ball up to the penalty area was great. The reason why i say till the penalty area is because the defender obviously falls a fool to Morata’s fake, something that a La Liga defender probably wouldnt do. None the less, the moments up till that moment were notable to see more than one asset of this player that can be useful to the team. For what its worth, i thought every part of the goal was perfect.

Moving on from our two gems, we go into rumors and facts. And here, the rumors are both speculations and facts. One that i will enjoy reporting and one that i don’t hate, but rather don’t understand. On the latest Revista de la Liga episode, which was recorded today, Guillem Balague confirmed that Real Madrid has signed two players: Nuri Sahin and Callejon. Lets start with the news that i thought was good, and thats the possible signing of Nuri Sahin.

I first got to know Brussia Dortmund in 2004, when i used to play Football Manager (back then, it was Championship Manager). They had players with good stats and were cheap. Rosicky, Metzelder (back when people thought he was good), Ewerthon, Jan Koller and Odonkor. Naturally, since Dubai Sport was generous enough to play their games, i watched them. I will say one thing, the fans for this club are amazing! Since then, i have followed them intermittently, with the last two seasons being the ones were i have watched the most games for them. Nuri Sahin was a 16 year old back in 2004, and since then, he has been my first buy with any club in the football manager series. But of course, thats all games. The question remains, is he actually any good? The answer is simple. YES! I will list the good things and bad things that this signing will/might bring to squad

The Good:

1) Finally we will have a compatible partner to Alonso who can serve as an outlet.Nuri Sahin’s passing is second to non in the Bundes Liga, and yes that includes Schweinsteiger. He has a great vision to spot the pass both the short one and the long one. He is good at holding the ball up and solid in defense. His vision to spot the man making the run is great and with him and Alonso playing right next to each other, we will no longer be the team solely dependent on Alonso to start an attack. While both Khedira and Lass have been doing great as of late, it has long been suggested throughout the season that the partner for Alonso is the problem. Not a dig at Khedira or Lass, but where they excel defending, they have both been too simple in attack (Khedira) or too ambitious beyond his ability (Lass). Sahin is both fast, a good dictator of tempo and equally competent in both attack and defense.

2) Used to the system. Borussia Dortmund play a system that is very similar to ours. A traditional 4-2-3-1, with Sahin and Bender sitting behind the 3 in that formation. This is similar to the Alonso-Khedira partnership that sits behind the 3 in our set up (Ronaldo, Ozil and Di Maria). This will make the transition that Sahin makes to our club much easier and will make it easy for him to fit into our set up. It should also be noted that Bender plays a very deep lying midfielder role, one that is similar to the one Alonso plays. This should make the partnership easier.

3) When employing a Trivote/double pivot, we are now more creative. Again, this is not a dig at either Lass or Khedira. I honestly thought that Khedira has been great this season in defending and doing the simple thing. But as we have all discussed, he has not shown us that he can serve as an outlet for Alonso. Sahin is a very creative player, and hence will limit this problem.

4) The deal is similar to the one done for Ozil, but cheaper. It is rumored that the deal will be for 10 million, which is dead cheap for a talent as much good as his. He is nearing the end of his contract and has a buyout clause in his contract for that much. Yay us and good business. No more 65 million deals.

5) A signing that Mou actually wants. Many would argue that he was the one who bought Khedira, but i would argue that it is Lass that he doesn’t want. And the reason i mention Lass not Granero is because Granero is more willing to sit on the bench than Lass, something that Mou approves off. Not only that, but it seems that Granero has been turning into Mou’s 2nd hand man between the players. He helps out with tactics and training drills and even psychological advise (Granero has a coaching degree and is studying psychology at the college level). But it seems that Mou is not fully satisfied with Lass or Khedira and feels that Sahin would be an improvement.

6) Young and experienced future replacement for Alonso. Not to mention, a perfect partner for Alex in the future. Sahin can play both a central midfielder and a deep lying midfielder role perfectly well. He is 22 years old and has over 150 games for Borussia Dortmund in the league and around 186 total appearances. He also has 26 appearances on the international level with Turkey.

7) Dead ball specialist. If there is a player that will challenge Ronaldo for freekicks, then its this guy. Great freekick taker and slots in really good corners and crosses.

Sahin vs Bayern

Bad Things about the move:

1) Believe it or not, Gago being sold is hard news for me. Hate him or love him, he is currently one of the longest serving members of this Madrid squad. He had one good and one great season with us. He then declined as the years went by. He has been injury prone for a while now and its better to ship him out while the people of the world still see him as a good player. It’s sad to say, although i thought his progress as a player declined recently, but the Nuri Sahin signing says adios to our Argentinian.

2) Adding a player to an already stacked midfield. We have Granero, Khedira, Lass, Alonso, Gago and now Sahin. Lets assume that Gago leaves, we now have 4 players that expect to start and Granero that has the quality to start. With the news of Sahin joining, i wouldn’t be surprised if we hear that Lass will look for an exit, as he is down the pecking order more and more now. Especially with Pepe showing his ability to fill in, maybe we will be seeing a central midfielder clear out.

3) One footed and not the best in the air. He is too one footed it pains me. Not as bad as Di Maria, but still a problem. He avoids using his right foot as much as he can. With that said, his left foot is really unique. He is also not the best in the air, as he is only 1.80 meters.

So this is my view on the Sahin transfer. To sum his playing style up really quickly, i would say Sahin is the closest we will find to a Guti-esque player right now. He has the ability to pass the ball through tight spaces and can hold on the the ball well. Sort of what we wish Khedira can take from Granero in attack and what we wish Granero can take from Khedira defensively all in one package. A very diciplined player that knows when to make a run forward and when to sit back. He usually enjoys sitting at the back and starting the play, and has a mean shot from outside the area. With that said, he is comfortable playing the ball while further up the pitch. He is a better passer of the ball than Ozil, and thats saying something considering Ozil is a great passer.

I have written 2000 words about Sahin, so i think it would be best to stop here, let you guys focus on Sahin and i will leave the Callejon talk for tomorrow. Hope this gives a better view for some of you who haven’t seen Sahin play before (i have watched him in over 15 games this season and the same number last season). Corey can tell you more about him as well, as he enjoys Dortmund just as much, if not more, than i do.

Until then, tell me what you think of the Sahin signing. With Gago possibly on the way out, and Lass, despite playing great lately, looking for more consistant first team action, what are your views on the matter? Will Lass be ok with being the 4th choice central midfielder? Or will he even be ok with being the third choice? Lets try and not talk much about Callejon till i put the article out tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the highlights of the Castilla game:

Some Related Real Madrid Posts:

Category: Team News

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Lefthog

the main point regarding transfers should be this: does this player help Madrid beat Barcelona? This season has shown that Madrid is better than anyone except Barcelona. So it should be the motto to bring in guys who help defeat them (either as starters or as depth guys). And they have to get rid of guys who do not help in this regard.

R. Albiol is a solid defender and good enough as a 4th CB. But not against Barcelona. He is too slow and awful on the ball. He should be replaced by someone more athletic and more skilled with the ball.

Madrid needs more depth at LB. Marcelo had a good clasico series (too bad he slipped in Semifinal home leg) but if he had been injured, I don't think Nacho would have been able to replace him nearly half as well.

Arbeloa is a great soldier. A type of player Mourinho loves (reminds me of Paulo Ferreira). But he is also at the lower spectrum of ball-playing skill in order to withstand the barca-pressing. Mourinho and Valdano need to take a look there.

Madrid need another winger. Pedro León seems to be in Mou's doghouse. They need someone who like DiMaria has both the willingness and the instincts to track back. Of course the abilities on offense should be impeccable as well (I am thinking of a player in the mold of Gareth Bale though I don't expect him to come to Madrid
. Fabio Coentrao would fit both needs at the wing and at LB).
Nyonya Mansoor

I don't mind new signings and looking forward to it but I'm not sure I would like anyone to leave this summer. How complicated is that? Even Peter Lion. I couldn't forget his goal against AC Milan in the CL. Even Gago. And absolutely not Kaka.

This is what I think. Against any other team in La Liga and Champions League our team is sufficient. The need for new players is not that pressing. But when it comes to Barca it is another story. Somehow I feel the new signings would be focused on how to beat them. As a quick solution. I'm all for improvement of the team but if this is the only reason why we need the new players then i don't think it's the way to go. I have faith that we can beat Barca with our current squad. Just give them some time.

We can also look at the past Academy Award winners for Best Actors as options. It would be interesting to see if any of them can beat the acting skill of Alves and Co.
AsumaM

Anyone heard about the news regarding Altintop of Bayern rumored to Madrid? I guess these Turkish German type players are in flavor at the moment.
Kaushik

noooooo he's terrible! @Andres_85:disqus @Bassamd:disqus hey this is new and very cool
hehe101

I'm mixed about this supposed purchase. First of all, 10 million for this guy is even better than the Ozil deal. I've seen him play in several games, since my friend is a fan of the German club and I think the guy is extremely talented and can easily replace Alonso given a few years. But then again, I'm just worried that we might not see some of the deserving bench players on the playing field, notably Granero. Cause we all know that Khedira is not going to be benched and neither is Alonso and if we are going to play a trivote, then we lose out on Granero. Lass and Gago, in my opinion are going out this season. I know the kid is a great prospect for the future and if we don't buy him, we'll lose out on a great talent..it's just that I'm not sure if I like the idea of him maybe him playing ahead of Granero. That's just my thought on it.

But if we do buy him, I won't be completely against it since I do like him. I just hope Madrid don't buy any more mids, or anyone in that matter. If we have to do one signing, it would be this guy. The less transfers we do, the better.
WorstPosterOnRMFB

well there is gonna be even less time for Granero now since AS swears that we are trying to buy Altintop too
Bassam

I had the same mind set as you, but then i came to the conclusion that i can't keep living in a dream that thinks Granero actually has a chance of being a regular in the team. Not because he isn't good enough, but rather because he is not fancied by the manager as a regular.

All season long i got pissed seeing Lass and other players take place in games with Granero, who whenever called upon impressed, staying on the bench. Now that i have come to the conclusion that he isn't going to start, i feel much happier when he actually does, since its a pleasant surprise. Still annoys me though.

Sahin, IMO, might relegate Khedira to the bench. But he also might start and we might shift to play a trivote, in which Granero has a better chance of playing actually.
WorstPosterOnRMFB

Trust me Khedira will be a regular
Ramses27

I think we're going with the trivote to be honest, with Khedira and Alonso. This means that yes, Granero will probably get a lot of playing time, considering Lass and Gago will want to leave. However, does that mean we're not going to get Parejo? I thought he was also our summer objective. I confess, I'm a big, big Parejo fan, but no way we can get him AND Sahin.

Also, doesn't that mean if Lass leaves, our midfield will be a bit lightweight? It'll leave Khedira as the only true physical defensive midfielder.
Bassam

In Spain, lightweight is not bad. In europe, you can manage with lightweight, and the Barcelona squad is an example of that. In any case, Pepe can always step into the DM position and cover.

If we do end up playing a trivote, Lass might stay. If he leaves, then he opens a space for Parejo to join.
Zizou

Sj your not a Madrid fan are you? who do you support?
e_de_mex

i am getting a feeling that real is going to get a big name like Kun, Tevez, Rooney. i dont think any big name will be transfer name until the season is over. it will be interesting if they do who do they sell.
WorstPosterOnRMFB

Sorry Bassam for going off topic but is anyone else super annoyed that UEFA might take action aganst Iker and CR for criticizing the ref while doing nothing about Busquets for his racial slur ?
Ramses27

Doesn't surprise me, lol. Just look at how everyone in the world is jumping on the I hate Madrid bandwagon. Old news. Let them gang up on us.
Pegah

Hold on.. so we have signed him? Dont we already of soo many midfielders (you did point this out)... i dont get why we need him. I mean YES he is amazing but we have alonso, khedira, and alonso who are also amazing.. and Lass their to save our asses.. I feel like his coming is going to be like the whole okay now who will play benz or pipita kind of them. And i dont even know who callejon is soo..
chopplays

Alonso is old and slowing down. I suspect there will b e a lot of Sahin-Khedira partnerships.

Can someone tell me how he can be bought for only 10M? He's one of the top 5 players being talked about and just what other big teams like United, City, and Milan need.
nomz

bassam, since u r our castilla expert among some others here, arent there any CB youngsters down the ranks. one u see that has potential and physique. am obviously not talking about next year, more like the next 3 years or more.

its interesting to see the best potential coming thru the ranks are forwards or mids, hardly defenders. but thats real for u, in the last decade or so, attack attack attack and i aint complainin :) just score more than them. imo this is a factor for this situation we r in. but then again bassam can come back and showcase so many defenders coming thru and toss my argument out the window :)
Bassam

Derik is a good center back, but he is too young. And by too young i mean 17 years old. The center back position is one that requers experience which comes with age. Unfortunately, the center back position is not the strongest one for our youth academy. In Castilla right now, the weakest point is the two center back pairing. Especially after Mateos and the x captain left this season.

We do have a very very promising right back in carvajal. He is very similar to Michel Salgado in playing style. In the future, i expect him to be our right back with Ramos moving to the middle.
Jesus-God Mode-Alvario

DERIK=HIERRO
e_de_mex

CB derik but he is on the short side, only 181. ivan saez ir probably the best but he is only 16 but he is playing with kids 2 years older in the juvenil B
WorstPosterOnRMFB

anyone watching Villareal- Porto , what a selfish idiot Rossi is
Zizou

Yes they looked bloody awesome first half, before Porto scored. Their movement was great to watch.
WorstPosterOnRMFB

i think that its really funny how many people oppose any transfers we make every summer just to fall in love with said player during the season , everyone was opposed to Ozil , Carvalho and Di Maria heck we were opposed to Ronaldo coming , look at how those turned out

Sahin is not being bought because we want him he is being bought because we NEED him

as for buying expensive and selling cheap , well Madrid is never going to make profit on transfers , big clubs usually dont , because we are not a selling club , to make profit off of players you have to sell them when they are at their peek we usually sell players because they are not A) good enough anymore , B) they are surplus to requirement , C) they themselves desperately want out because of lack of playing time so none of those scenarios allow us to ask for a lot money for the players we want to sell
e_de_mex

most fan fall in love with the current squad and hate to see them let go. but when you watch other leagues like i do i sometimes wonder how kool it would be if they were wearing the white.. like i did with sahin.

madrid makes enough profit selling their shirts that they dont need to sell them high. like ronaldo with him having 2 number i wonder how many millions they made selling the 9 and now the 7. i wouldn't not be surprise if they already got back half of what they paid for him. thats has nothing to do with futbol so i am not going to research it.
nomz

bigger bang on ande, its funny every club in the world buys players every year, its real that gets highlighted. and if they had the buying power that we had they would buy big, look at manshitty. difference we buy good good players and make money off them on every footballing aspect unlike some other clubs. but worth mentioning we have being doing good business of late, ozil for 10m, i didnt think i would see the day, let alone see real do such a biz deal.
Jose P

come on guys get realistic...you seriously don't think mourinho will even consider using any castilla players. the only way your youngins are gonna wear the white shirt is they go the granero route.
e_de_mex

perez is pushing for morata because madrilistas want him.
Varunsuryakumar

i think we should get sahin......he is a barca specific buy according to me...morinho knows if he has to play attacking football to beat barca he needs someone like sahin...who will lower the pressure on alonso....the problem right now is barca know that they can put 2 guys on alonso and not even bother marking one guy further upfield......with sahin in midfield alonso will have more space and time to exploit because barca cant afford to mark him with 2 guys......get the point
Bassam

No body comments on the Morata video :(
Zizou

The defending took it away for me Bassam :) especially after the title of Morata's golazo, he basically had a free run from the half way line... ( not saying it was a bad goal of course)
nomz

u want a comment bassam, here it is. if i dont see this player play in the first team in the next two years i will be damn pissed off. no loaning no even thinking of selling. wow at this age and confidence, he can over take both hig n benz. just give him some playing time.
Ramses27

Absolutely brilliant, but like you said, the last man defending was poor. Hopefully he will actually be promoted next season, and get some minutes.
nomz

hahaha promise to watch it now :)
ahmad zulfadzli

i think its nice to have a midfielder who can score from the middle 'cept from cr7. i think everybody knows khedira needs to improve his finishing while alonso.... well, who remember the last alonso shot the ball?
e_de_mex

yup, the games are won by scoring goal. it doesn't matter who scores them. marcelo has 4, ramos 3, carvalho 3 arbeloa 1 and granero 1. not much production from DM's and defenders, specially from the DM.
ROD

that's great that we GET sahin but it probably means that gago as well as maybe lass and also kaka will leave because of sahins versatility to play in the mid and as a CAM but another thing i would like to see is to get a backup left footed LB IN THE SUMMER
e_de_mex

cavani's agent is saying that Real is not going to go after him because they are looking at bigger names and proven strikers. Kun's agent is saying Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern and Inter are knocking on their door.
Zizou

I can't believe noone has mentioned this guy. I've literally (like Ozil before the WC) never heard of him. I'm still not watching that Sahin vid, I want to see him for my first time live for us.

I agree with IndianGalatactico it seems stupid to me to keep buying players every year, since you want to talk about Callejon on the next article I won't go further on that. Albiol and Garay are capable back up CBs, we spent 15 mill on Albiol, unless we get that offer it will be another loss. Lass we spent 20 mill on right? It just seems like the club doesn't mind every year spending 10/20 mill on a player and if he doesn't work ship him out for whatever we can get. The amount of players that have come and go every year at this club is staggering. Be a dream that one year we won't have to buy or sell anyone. So yer I guess you can say i'm on the against Callejon and Sahin team atm.
Plykab

Why don't you just go to ESPN3 and watch full games of Dortmund? I just watched the Mainz match last night and Sahin was awesome.
Zizou

Really he played?? someone told me about a week ago when I said i'd tune in to watch that he picked up an injury as was out for the rest of the season...
I'm very excited to see who the fuck this guy is lolz :) but don't like highlight videos on youtube they can make any player look good. I could make one of Heinze look good, show a clip of him scoring a goal, then edit out the bit where he concedes an own goal :)
TSDrew

Oh man I remember that game so vividly. I remember talking crap on him about the Liverpool game to a buddy watching with me. He scored and my friend was like well he looks like a pretty good player to me and left me speechless. Seconds later he scores that own goal and I got that cocky I told you so grin on my face. Heinze loved to score goals... on either net.
e_de_mex

he got injured like 3 weeks ago but esp3 has games you can replay going back to early in the season.
Zizou

Would I have to sign up for esp3?
e_de_mex

sorry typo meant to say espn3
Bassam

You make an interesting point, Zizou. But lets not forget that the purchase of Lass was a reactionary one. The team was going into the season with just 2 holding midfielders and one of them got injured in the 6th week. Any player that you buy in the winter transfer window will have an inflated price. That is why most clubs try and get their business done in the summer.

But ATM, how much do you think Lass will go for? I wouldn't say anything less than 15 million. Albiol was purchased for 15, and he is a spanish international, so how much do you think he will go for? Again, i wouldn't say anything less than 10 million.

These losses are no where compared to the ones that we will suffer for players like Kaka, Gago and Ronaldo (when and if he leaves, no one is going to pay 96 million). The more you pay for a player, the more you risk losing money for him. Take Ronaldo for example. If he leaves in 2 years and someone pays 50 million for him (i know thats low for ronaldo, but im trying to make a point), the 46 million isn't that big of a deal. Because he has given back to the club much more than that. But look at Kaka right now. If he is sold, he will go for around 30 or 35 million. Thats a 30 million loss. Has he contributed that much to the squad?

This is why the Sahin signing is a good one from a business level. He is a 22 year old midfielder, one of the most talented and up and coming stars in the sport right now, and we are/might get him for 10 million. Lets say he warms the bench and barely plays, then we decide to sell him in a year or two, do you think his price will be less than 10? Having the brand name of playing for Real Madrid gives your price tag a boost of 10 %. This is why this is not a risky deal. Regardless of the talent at hand.

Anyways, i feel this deserves a post. It's a very interesting issue.
Plykab

Ronaldo is going NOWHERE, he will stay here for life. Ronaldo has already paid back what he cost in spades. I am willing to bet that his true value was far higher than what he cost. If all the power was in Man United's hands, then he could have cost 200 million. But Ronaldo had some power which forced United's hand.

I think United really would have rather kept him. They went from back to back CL finals (winning 1), 4 EPL titles in a row, to getting knocked out in the QF and not even winning the EPL the year Ronaldo left. Now they are back in the CL finals, but they are no where near the level they were when Ronaldo was there.

Guys like Ronaldo are the products of the businesses called football clubs. It's like Coca Cola, they sell a black carbonated drink. Without that product they are out of business. Without players like Rooney, Ronaldo, etc., these clubs are as good as dead.
Bassam

Well i was using Ronaldo as an example. That is why i said: When and if he leaves.

And i was using an example of Ronaldo as: Hey we paid big and we got our moneys worth, but is those kind of players that you pay that much for and end up actually succeeding like Ronaldo is are very rare. A very very good example of this is Kaka. Zlatan is a second example. Hell, if you remember mindieta, he is a perfect example. Left to Lazio for 35 million, in 2 season he left the club for free.
Zizou

Plykab he was just using Ronaldo has an example, he said IF he leaves :)
Zizou

I wasn't including Ronaldo and Kaka in this. I fully agree with you those players make up their price tags in merchandising. I actually agree with the Kaka signing, as not just because of the money he made, but he was a high profile player we ( Perez) needed to get us back in the world news after Calderon's stint. Plus its not like we're going to be spending 50+ Mill on a player every season.

Yet we seem to be always buying 3-7 players each summer, we don't give enough time to players. I mean last year we spent pretty well on players ( not including our favourite Ozil steal of the century on doubt so won't complain about signing him) yet we still managed to bring in quite a few players for a summer that was supposedly quiet. Di Maria, Leon, Canales, Khedira. The year before we most have bought in 8 new players. Thats like a full 11 there in 2 years. It doesn't help players like Granero who is coming on very well, why slow his development now.

Glad you found it intresting Bassam :)
Jesus-God Mode-Alvario

JERSEYS!!!!!
smurf_ette

However, you guys are only thinking of finances in terms of buy and sell price. When it comes to footballers that is not the case.

Ronaldo, as an example, has earned Real Madrid back his fee in shirt sales, never mind, %of player rights, plus you know the money we actually get for progressing through rounds, 2nd place in la liga, and winning things. If, and when we sell him, his sale price will be profit.

Kaka, for all his crappy season and a half, has probably made his fee back as well in terms of shirt sales and merchandizing.

The clubs are businesses and player fees are inflated because people know they can recoup the money back through other means. Case in point. Gareth Bale is not worth anywhere near 80 million. However, if a big name like Real Madrid or Barca bought him (and they wouldn't because its a silly quoted price) how much of that money would he (the current English media darling) make for them from shirt sales, merchandizing, sponsorship %s etc. Over a few years he might make that money back for them and when they sell him for a more reasonable price of maybe 25 million... thats profit. Of course, that is ignoring player salaries. So maybe if over 4 years he made the team 100 million and cost 5 million a year in salary plus assume extra 250,000 a year insurance, medicals, travels, etc... 22 million he costs the club additional. That's 102 million spent on him. 100 million earned and then sold for 25 million... that's 23 million profit for 4 years investment. Not bad... and it's Gareth Bale. Take a Kaka or Ronaldo and you can see why 96 or 60 million really doesn't make a difference provided they stay with the club for a few years.

It's too simple to say "oh well we paid 15 million for him, so 10 million sale price is a loss." Especially when FP ALWAYS considers marketing potential before buying.

edit: I know Bassam you made a similar point above but my financial "analysis" is trying to show that even without significantly contributing to team success players can still earn back their buy fees for the club.
Zizou

Smurf if you worked that out in your head as you typed away thats pretty cool :)

In my reply to Bassam i said I agreed with you 2 in the marketing sense with the big players, especially with Perez in charge he knows how to draw the media's attention in. What I ment more is that its with the squad players thats my problem. I mean surely Callejon isn't better than Leon or any youth teamers, why spend any money on him. The amont of players we've let go and got in the last 5 years is crazy. The likes of Huntelaar, Diarra, Sneijder, Reyes, Negredo, Cincinho, Baptista are examples of why buy these players if they aren't going to stay long? Callejon won't last any longer than Leon as next year we'll do the same thing with him. It doesn't make our club look good if we're always buying/selling players, there's no stability. Look at clubs like Man U they invest 1/2 players a year now, bring a few up from the acedemy thats it. We had our crazy summer in 09.
I mean I may be getting to into this, as if those 2 are our only signings then I guess its not that bad, but 2 signigns already when the season isn't ended doesn't bode well.
smurf_ette

I did. Thanks. Though it was a very simple scenario. Wait till I start building models in excel....weeee!! :-p

I know you were excluding the "big names" though Bassam did question if we sold Kaka for say 30 mill... would it be a loss? My point was financially no.

Same with all the above squad players if you buy someone for 15-25 mill and sell for 7-17 million they've probably still earned the club back at least some of the money, but agree our turnover rate (and costs) are ridiculous.

We do need stability and I think summer we will see tweaks rather than an overhaul, like in in previous years,but tweaks can and should be made (i.e. 2-3 players max) because every year your competition also strengthens and changes. But if we buy more than 3 players this year I would be disappointed. Personally, I like our squad and don't want any changes but since that is unrealistic, I hope we are sensible and make limited chnages which enhance upon last year rather than change anything.
e_de_mex

alot of that has to do with the team lacking a direction. when you keep changing coaches they all come with a different idea and new players need to be purchase. for example they sold robben and a year later they had to go and get di maria. the same player only younger minus all the injuries. the list goes on as they buy and then have to sell what doesn't need to be sold only to buy and replace it.

If they had a sense of direction in the coaching staff and they actually gave them an opportunity the coach would built a core of players and then just add minor pieces like a ManU does, bring in a young mid to replace the veteran and work a cycle. not a revolving door.
Zizou

Thats is very true in the same time we have sold/bought so many players, we have also changed coachs every year. Well that will be another very intresting point then next season, if Mou does stay behind his 2nd year, see if the transfer policy stables out.
nomz

bang on
Kaushik

Completely agree with you on all points. Its exactly how I am thinking about all this.
nomz

Thanks zizou, for some reason weren't getting the new post last nite, am using an iPad now, hope my Mac would work now, will check it later. About ur post, I for one don't think albiol or garay are bad or weak defenders, but on the level we want to play and against the big teams where it matters most we need at least one more heavy weight cd, someone like carvo, I know sergio can play in this position and he is great at it, I just feel since garay hardly plays and probably hasn't reached his full potential because of that, plus he is not someone I see for the future with all do respect.
True am against this buy buy and buy policy, I just look at our squad now, I see a young great collection of players that will give for the coming decade at least, not to forget mentioning the young lads coming up the ranks with massive potential. Point being, we need one last tweaking for next season and we will be good to go..
TSDrew

I have to agree with you on the Garay point. He still has so much potential to be a great CB, but he is injured about as much as Metzelder. I haven't seen much growth since he played for Racing, then again I haven't seen him play. Has he played a 90 minute game this season? How many has he played for us in his career? It's almost a given that when he plays he will be substituted due to some niggling injury, and as a back-up that's one of the most important qualities because you don't usually play unless there is no cover left. Albiol played really well last year. He has confidence issues and form issues when he doesn't play regularly. If Mou can work that out I can see him staying, but wouldn't be surprised if he left. I personally think Garay is the better of the two but due to so many injuries I really don't see him here next year if the CB talk is true.
e_de_mex

i think real should look at Alvaro Dominguez from athetico, the kids is special. he can play CB and LB without a problem. he is not a marcelo but he is good, good passes and descent speed, not great but better then albiol. he could cover for LB and CB allowing them to trim down the squad.
nomz

Also if we will go for competitions u r looking at 50 games a season or so, so carvo and peep ain't enough, and u never know mow mite play pepe as striker one day :D
Zizou

Although Bssam I did like your no.3 point about having our 3 man midfield more creative. Like we had under Pelle with Alonso-Granero-Guti.
Fahaad

Hey guys, long time... Thanks to Andres always posting the videos of Castilla, if someone can help me by giving any website where they broadcast live matches of Castilla. I tried searching it but without luck.

Thanks in advance
Zizou

Fahaad i'm sure I recognize that name... can't say I fully remember you, but welcome back nonetheless. :)
Fahaad

Nice seeing you too Zizou, i have been reading all of the articles these guys have been posting. Great work guys... Bassam, Kaushik, Jordan n Corey. Just taking a back seat and enjoying the matches.

Cheers
TSDrew

It's strange to be talking about transfer rumors so soon in the season, not post-season. We can all predict and speculate, but the truth is nobody knows how things will pan out. I remember last year people were calling for 3 new players. Look how that turned out. Canales was predicted pretty well. Khedira? Ozil? Those came out of left field. Nobody even mentioned Carvalho until late summer as everyone was clamoring for Thiago, Chellini, Terry ect. just like this year. I agree it's fun to recognize flaws in our team and spot talent that would be a good deal. But that fun stops when people start calling people idiots over transfer rumors when both usually end up wrong. With that said I'll probably end up getting caught up in the rumors and defending my position adamantly, and my position may change with some new players being linked. Just remember rumors are rumors and until the pen has been put to paper, nothing is a done deal.
e_de_mex

yeah when i made the comment that the season was over lets talk about rumors 3 days ago i never expected those rumors to become reality so fast. I thought with 2 weeks left in the season then the team was going to start maneuvering but not now.

but i like it, dont waste time and let other teams butt in and make the deals harder then they should be. like the whole summer drama of cesc last year.. joke.. maybe he didn't get sign because his diving skill where not that good? had to go there huh
TSDrew

Buying early certainly does have it advantage, but with an already full squad it will make selling so much harder. I think the losses we take by having an overloaded squad will outweigh the advantage of buying soon. If we had a 23 man squad this year, it wouldn't be a problem, but now opposing teams can low ball us because they know we have to trim down to 25 players. Hopefully we can lock up our acquisitions and keep them silent until we sell some of our current players, assuming we do indeed buy players.
e_de_mex

its impossible to keep trasnfer under the table when its Real. some teams want Real to come knocking on their door to raise the value of their players.

but i totally agree that its a joke how cheap they sell, like VDV for only 11, i would of loan him and after he had the year he had sell him for easily 20 to 25.
Ramses27

Well guys, if this Sahin thing was just a rumor before, it seems more and more like a reality. Borussia Dortmund just bought a new midfielder to replace Sahin, according to Marca.

I, for one, am voting for the trivote of Sahin, Khedira, and Alonso, with Benz/Higuain, Ronaldo, and Ozil/Di Maria up top. We'll be sacrificing some defensive stabilitiy with an Alonso-Sahin partnership, so this might be the best. I don't think our attack will suffer that badly, as we have amazing attackers already, it's just we have too many players for each position.

Sahin comes in, then the summer bargain basement deals begin. Imagine Gago in a champions league final..
Plykab

Sahin IS THE SUMMER GARGAIN BASEMENT DEAL. Why can't Madrid fans see the reality of the situation? You are comparing Gago with Sahin? One of the best young midfielders in the world with a guy who has been given a chance and has failed at Madrid, not to mention that he is injured every other day.

The comparison is a joke. No one will buy Gago for much money because he isn't worth much money. Sahin is being purchased for such a cheap price, not because no one will offer more, but because all the bargaining power is in Sahin's hands due to his contract being over in 1 year.

MAdrid is making out like bandits.
Ramses27

haha bro, you misunderstand me. I really really want Sahin to come, and 10 million for one of the best midfielders in europe is the best deal ever. No comparison with Gago at all.

I mean the bargain basement deals for people like Gago, Lass, etc. I mean, dude, we bought Lass for 20 million and if he goes, it'll probably won't be for a profit. We buy these players for so much, and the ones that fail like Gago get sold on the cheap. I was making a reference to Robben and Sneijder being in the champions league final last season, after we sold them for uber cheap.

No way I can compare Sahin to Gago haha, I WANT him to come.
arshjot

What is this Sahin, Sahin, Sahin, just tell me that Lass really deserves that? He fights for the ball like a bulldog and then passes it so good too. I mean why do we have to worry about replacements long before they are required?
Plykab

I am EXTREMELY excited about Sahin, but let's not count our chickens before they hatch. If Madrid are able to get him for anything around the figures that are being thrown around, it will be the steal of the year without doubt, rivaling the Ozil transfer.

This Sahin is PERFECT for what Madrid need, and he is 22 years old, the same young age as the young core of this team: Benz, Higuain, Marcelo, Ozil, Canales, Khedira, DiMaria, et al. He will grow with this team, and it will be an awesome sight to behold.

But, let's go back to the important point, Sahin is JUST WHAT THIS TEAM NEEDS! I think everyone noticed that this team is missing something in midfield, especially when they played against Barca and were pressured heavily high up the pitch. Arsenal were able to hold on to possession much better than Madrid. Why? Because Madrid is lacking that conductor in the middle that can be the focal point of the attack, hold up the ball, retain possession, and be the center of high tempo one touch passing. I know most people won't like this, because everyone loves Alonso, but he is NOT the guy. As we saw against Barca, Alonso is not great at being this guy. He is a deep lying playmaker, spraying nice long range passes from deep. Alonso needs time and space on the ball, when he is hurried as he was against Barca, he loses it. Also, he cannot be the focal point of high tempo one touch passing, because he likes to sit on the ball every time he gets it.

Sahin is not being brought here to be a backup for Alonso, Sahin is being brought here to play in front of Alonso, right behind the attacking 4. Against tough teams like Barca, I think the strategy would be to play a 4-3-3 with Pepe/Alonso/Sahin in the middle, and what a beast middle that would be! Normally it would be a 4-2-3-1, with Alonso and Sahin the middle 2.

This is the perfect transfer. If it happens, we must all cross our fingers and hope that it does. Sahin, like Ozil, is a 50 million euro talent just like Cesc. In fact, if i would rate Ozil the best out of the 3, with Cesc/Sahin tied for 2nd place. It is a major steal to get this guy for 10-12 million.
e_de_mex

oh man don't talk bad about alonso because he is like a king around madrilistas hehehe
I agree, with sahin here what they need is a DM who runs like crazy and never gets tired of breaking up attacks. like bender aka the wall in BVB or pepe. I would love if real just keep him in the middle against the tough match up and use him as the CB for everyone else.
I am a huge fan of khedira because every team needs to have the type of player that sacrifices everything for the good of the team and if they ask him to sit down he will and cheer for his teammates. a prefect teammates to have.

The season is long if they advance in all competition so their should be enough minutes to go around playing over 60 games. if they get KO then it's hard to keep everyone happy.
galacticoforev109

I don't think we'll be seeing pepe playing in the midfield again anytime soon..the reason is khedira.The guy just doesn't deserve to be dropped,even against barca.He's one of the few players that can keep running his ass off throughout the whole game or even more than that as we saw in the cup final.And one of his key points is that he helps the team keep concentration and make sure the whole team is disciplined while attacking or defending.
So I'm just worried that if and when sahin comes in, we might loose our defensive prowess to some extent,if mou decides to play with Alonso and sahin.
but,anyways,I'm as excited as you to see sahin come come in..We'll see what mourinho has in mind for next season..
Plykab

Be confident my friend, one thing a Mou led team will never lose is focus on defense, lol. That's the last thing we should be worried about!
Ned Jibreen

The only reason I see Madrid signing Sahin is for him to be a backup to Alonso. He will basically be warming the bench for his first season at Madrid, unless he's able to prove he's better than Alonso.(Yeah right)

Nonetheless, I think its a good move; Not a big fan of having so many creative midfielders, nor do I think he'll enjoy warming the bench after being the best player in the Bundesliga, but seeing as that Alonso won't give more than an extra couple of years and we can't risk having him injured, he'll suit us well as a consistant Plan B and it'll give Sahin more time to become the next Alonso in the future. A player of this quality is something we need in order to win the triplet next season .
Plykab

You are very wrong, Sahin will get significant minutes.
Ned Jibreen

Damn, thanks for letting me know!