Sports Quotient

These two men are coaches of high profile national sides. Young players from both teams have recently made transfer headlines. The two coaches have also managed to get into the spotlight by proffering free transfer advice to their wards. Their advice is an interesting study in contrast.

Mano Menzes has promised a return to the beautiful game for the national side and his debut win over the USA was a powerful statement of intent. He played the Santos troika of Robinho, Neymar and Ganso and the team clearly benefitted from their telepathic understanding - all thanks to playing and practising together on a daily basis. When Neymar was mulling over a dream move to Chelsea , the coach advised him to stay at Santos and continue his development. He was right in believing that Brazil will benefit from having three of their brightest attacking players continuing to play together at Santos. Menzes will give Neymar the best opportunity to excel for the national team and that is the best thing that can happen for the youngster. If he does well for Brazil, he will have more suitors chasing his signature soon.

Joachim Loew was the architect of one of the finest young sides to be seen at a World Cup in recent times. One of the key components of his team was Mesut Ozil, whose World Cup performances elicited interest from the biggest clubs around Europe. Ozil was interested to play for a side where he could get regular first team football – extremely important for a footballer who is still learning. As he deliberated over his options, which included the likes of Man United, Real Madrid and Chelsea, the German coach advised him to shun the English suitors and accept Real’s offer.

His logic was inexplicable.

Real are choc a bloc with players who play in the same position as Ozil. Man United on the other hand are short on quality mid-fielders and were in a far better position to guarantee first team football. Ozil flourished in the free flowing German attack which was built on team work and deft passing. Its resemblance to Man United’s style is far greater than the similarities it shares with Real’s approach.

Unless Mourinho and Loew know something which we don’t, it looks unlikely that Loew’s advice to Ozil will have any positive after affect on the German national side which Loew manages.

Chelsea were chasing both players and ended up with neither. The advice given by Menzes and Loew were in stark contrast but the champions of England ended on the wrong side of both.

Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the best player in world. What would be his market or transfer value - the money it would take to pry him away from FC Barcelona. His contract has a buyout clause valued at several hundred million dollars but realistically speaking what would be the kind of money that would tempt the Catalans to part with him.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 131 million dollar move to Real clearly proves that no player is untouchable. Messi is a better player and would charge a higher transfer fee. A further premium would be attached if the bidders happen to be Barcelona’s bitter rivals, Real Madrid.

Losing Messi to Real would substantially tilt the rivalry in Real’s favour - and that is clearly a prospect that no Barcelona fan would relish. It would suck the oxygen out of their lives. But what if Real made a bid for 200 million dollars. That Real are capable of making such an obscene bid is beyond debate. Would Barcelona refuse such an offer outright, without even giving it a second thought. I don’t think so.

Refusing such an offer would be tantamount to accepting that their success is solely due to Messi’s brilliance and not because of all the other things that they claim makes them such a great club.

There is also the possibility that the outflow for Messi could finally break Real Madrid and Florentino Perez - that recouping this humongous investment in one player could prove to be beyond the financial wizardry of President Perez.

And most importantly, a club like Barcelona could do so much with this kind of money. They could further ramp up their scouting and training facilities creating clones of La Masia around the world. Unlike Man Utd, who never tried to replenish their squad after Ronaldo’s departure, Barcelona could easily swoop for some top talent to make up for Messi’s loss.

Barcelona could be convinced to sell Messi. Its a question of how much money will tempt them to do so.

Arsenal are the only big time club which doesn’t seem to be making any serious effort in holding on to its key players, thanks to a combination of two reasons : one is Wenger’s insistence on youth and his reluctance to spend in the transfer market. Second, which is actually a consequence of the first, is their inability to win titles which forces players to head out to fulfil their silverware ambitions.

How bad is this exodus for the club?

If you look at the list of players who have left in the last 3 years, there is enough quality to build a fine side; good enough to compete in Europe and England. The team looks something like this.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Thierry Henry

Aleksandr Hleb

Jose Antonio Reyes

Gilberto Silva

Mathieu Flamini

Lassana Diarra

Justin Hoyte

Kolo Toure

Fabrice Mumba

Jens Lehmann

This team could play 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1 or even a 3-5-2 such is the versatile nature of the squad.

These guys weren’t misfits during their time at Highbury or the Emirates. Most of them left for bigger clubs and Arsenal benefitted financially from the move. They have continued to perform at a high level for their new clubs; clearly proof that they were not let go because they weren’t good enough to play for Arsenal anymore.

The only other major European club which has had a similar outflow of top talent is probably Sevilla in Spain.

I can’t help but think.

Who would win if this XI took on the current Arsenal side?