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Excerpt from a newspaper advertisement “…the neocortex is a part of the cerebral hemisphere-its outer layer. It is responsible for logical and specific reasoning. This is an appeal to the masses to donate funds for the replacement of Florentio Perez- our supreme leader and messiah’s neocortex. Healthy donations would entitle you to a signed Bale 11 shirt- Sincerely, Real Madrid CF”
Here’s hoping Mr. Perez continues as he is. He has spent, in his two terms as president, an estimated 697 million Euros on new signings. True to his Galactico policy, almost all incomings were geared toward making a statement. Luis Figo was the first of these, followed by Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham. Roberto Carlos should not be forgotten either.
In his second term, he continued with the signings of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo. All paid for with big money. His dream? A team of superstars who would dazzle and delight the world with their brilliance.
And dazzle they did. Perez wrecked a perfectly good formula, however, by sacking Vincente del Bosque. This caused players such as Fernando Hierro and Makelele to leave the club. The new coach Carlos Quieroz was unable to handle the inflated egos of the Galacticos and the dressing room fell apart. They did not win any silverware for the next four seasons- shocking when you see the amount of money that had gone into this team.
To be fair to Perez, this project of his has helped rebuild the Madrid brand in the new millennium. Revenues have skyrocketed (Madrid are the richest club in the world, according to Forbes) and the Bernebeau is almost always sold out. The Madrid team sheet on any day is enough to elicit a look of envy from almost everyone. Seen in that light, the decision to offload Ozil is not baffling.
Arsenal have got the Galactico policy to thank for that. Was it not for Perez’s ideology of buying ‘brands’ rather than value, we would never have gotten Mesut Ozil.
Gareth Bale certainly is a brand right now, and could develop into a very good player given time, but as Arsene Wenger said, “They[Real Madid] are very generous.”
I’ve forgiven him for the bad faith he showed during the Higuain saga, and why not? He’s just given us arguably (although it’d be a very feeble argument) the best playmaker in the world- at less than half the value of Bale.
Jose Mourinho, Ozil’s ex manager said, “There is no copy of Ozil, not even a bad one.”
Cristiano Ronaldo is planning the biggest ever tantrum in the history of football because he’s ‘angry’ at this transfer. Sergio Ramos has been absent from training for over a week now. Close friends say he’s curled up on his bedroom floor, wrapped in an Ozil shirt and gently sobbing into a soft pillow.
A couple of ex-Madrid directors have expressed their surprise and disappointment over the move. Madrid fans at Bale’s unveiling were heard chanting “Ozil is not for sale!”
Everyday I open the official Arsenal website and pinch myself in disbelief. The shock just doesn’t fade. And if shirt sales figures are any indication, it’s the same for all of us. There has been a twelvefold increase in shirts sold. The increase in revenue is reportedly million.
There isn’t any doubt that Mesut is a top, top, top quality player- the kind that Arsene Wenger speaks about in his press conferences. But I digress. Does the capture of Ozil represent significant ‘ambition’? Is it a proper ‘statement of intent’?
Oh ambition! How I loathe that word. The reason for certain players’ departures( that’s what they said, anyway) and a favoured stick to beat the club with. How many times have we heard the same old ‘Arsenal lack ambition, they’re happy with 4th place’ ditty?
Personally, this signing is neither a statement of intent nor a show of ambition. It is just what the manager said it would be at the post-match Derby Day conference- a surprise. For me, a top quality signing has two criterions:
Improves the team: The most crucial requirement. Last season, there were some games where we struggled to create. Cazorla was the only ‘spark’- the sole creator(until Rosicky came back). Mesut’s stats as a playmaker are extraordinary.
For example, he is the highest assists-provider all over Europe in the last three seasons with 72. Numbers don’t tell you the complete picture however. Ozil’s vision and technique is currently second to none.
With a counter-attacking style like Arsenal’s, and with the freedom he’s going to get from the manager, there is quite literally no end to what he and the team could achieve. If you haven’t seen him play yet, pray watch some videos.
Impact- The transfer has generated a hugely positive buzz around the club. As evidenced by shirt sales and the players’( and staff’s) reactions, everyone is massively pleased with this signing. It just feels wonderful to be an Arsenal supporter right now. Everywhere you see all of the football community talking about us. I can’t help but grin like an idiot every time I see or hear the words ‘Mesut Ozil has signed for Arsenal from Real Madrid’.
I’ve had absolute strangers come up to me to offer their congratulations. It has overshadowed Bale’s move, Spurs’ spending spree, Moyes’ and Mourinho’s appointments.
The general impression about Arsenal’s summer and Ozil in particular has been the ‘end of austerity’ and the arrival of a top quality player, the asphyxiating pressure from the fans to buy a quality player has subsided.
The only negative about this summer is the absence of a new(established) striker. It’s going to be tough getting by with only one proper striker. Giroud needs to keep extremely fit. If his past record is any indication (he’s only been out injured 5 days since 2005), the the club need not fret too much over the thinness of strikers in the squad.
