Football Transfer Update: Van der Vaart not happy with Mourinho’s new signing, German International Ozil
Jose Mourinho has won again, this time by beating Chelsea and Manchester United in the race to signing the in demand Mesut Ozil, the German playmaker. England clubs Chelsea and United were in hot pursuit of the youngster, both sides hoping to strengthen their squads for the upcoming season, where competition will be tougher than ever. Manchester United coach, Alex Ferguson made his desire to secure Ozil’s signature very public. The 21 year old played an essential role in Germany’s World Campaign, helping them reach the semi finals in South Africa.
Ozil is set to undergo a medical at the Bernabeu today, which will make him a part of Mourinho’s refashioned Madrid. The German midfielder will fit in nicely in the Madrid squad; he will most likely link up with Sami Khedira, his fellow countryman. Khedira was brought in from Stuttgart for a fee of £12m, and even though Ozil’s fee is yet to be disclosed, it is believed that it will around the same as Khedira, since he had only a year left on his Werder Bremen contract.
Mourinho’s other signings include Angel di Maria from Benfica and Ricardo Carvalho from Chelsea. Mourinho has history with Carvalho; he brought the Portuguese defender with him to Chelsea after winning the Champions League with FC Porto. Now he has been brought to Madrid, to strengthen the defence which seems to be falling apart at the moment, despite the Spanish giants securing wins or draws.
Ozil did not participate in Werder Bremen’s training session for the Champions League qualifications match, where they take on Sampdoria. Klaus Allofs, Bremen’s director of sport told reporters that they did not mind and supported the youngster in his decision to leave. “We are respecting the player's wishes to take the next step in his career immediately,” he said.
Allofs had attempted to open talks with Ozil regarding a new contract, but the player politely declined. The German international made it clear that he planned to go elsewhere. This incident took place before the World Cup, so the scouts from all the big clubs were on the lookout during the World Cup. Ozil did not disappoint, he was one of the best players during the tournament in South Africa, and earned the interest from sides like Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid.
Mourinho is pleased with his summer signings; he said that he thought he had gotten his money’s worth. He spoke to reporters after signing Ozil. After signing Khedira and Ricardo Carvalho, Mourinho was insistent on buying an attacking option, he found that in the form of Ozil, whom the management allowed him to buy.
He told reporters, “A coach always wants more reinforcements and when one arrives, you are already thinking in the next one. I do value the effort that the club has made in an economically difficult period. They have made sufficient investment.”
Ozil’s arrival raises the question of who will be left out of the squad; his competition is Canales, Rafael Van der Vaart and Estenban Granero. Another player he has to battle out for a spot is Kaka, who is injured at the moment but is scheduled to return in two months. The other players have invited the competition for a place in the squad, but Van der Vaart was not too happy.
Van der Vaart showed his displeasure when he did not celebrate after scoring against Belgian side Standard Liege. However, Mourinho rubbished all such claims and said that the Dutchman did not celebrate because it was a friendly match. “It is not a problem for us to have Van der Vaart and Ozil; they are multi-functional and can be a solution at the same time. Madrid and I are prepared for Van der Vaart to stay here,” he said.
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