So far, at least, this has been a comparatively low key La Liga transfer window by comparison to those in years gone by. Whilst Barcelona have turned from holding the European Cup aloft to holding the begging bowl as the protracted and tiresome transfer saga of Cesc Fabregas rumbles on. The dealings from the Real Madrid whilst pricey, have not excited as they did in the days of Los Galacticos.
One side however has captured the imagination. Spain’s newest footballing billionaires Malaga, taken over 12 months ago by Qatari billionaire Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani, have run up a €58m transfer bill this summer so far. In recent years other clubs who have experienced a massive cash injection have followed a different model to the one Malaga are employing – there have been no over-priced star signings, no ridiculous bidding wars and no media furore. Instead Malaga have very impressively and quietly gone about their pre-season business and made a raft of signings. Nine players snapped up for €58m would appear to be some very shrewd and restrained pieces of business.
Santi Cazorla from Villarreal, €21m; Isco from Valencia Mestalla, €6m; Sergio Sanchez from Sevilla, €2.8m; Joaquin from Valencia, €4.2m; Jeremy Toulalan from Lyon, €11m; Joris Mathijsen from Hamburger, €2.5m; Nacho Monreal from Osasuna , €6m; Dutch forward Ruud van Nistelrooy from Hamburg, free; Diego Buonanotte from River Plate, €4.5m (Source: betinf)
None of these signings will be more important and influential as that of Santi Cazorla. Cazorla is an experienced and top-drawer La Liga player; and with 36 caps for Spain and a Euro 2008 winner’s medal under his belt, his pedigree is clear. For Villareal he was consistently one of the first names on the team sheet for four consecutive seasons, his ability to dictate the play from wide positions and change the rhythm of the game is invaluable in the Spanish game, yet Malaga managed to get him for a cut price of €21m. Cazorla has been at the front of Villareal’s impressive campaigns in recent seasons, with the side only once finishing outside the top five since 2008. He will add talent and creativity by the bucket load to the Malaga squad and he could quite realistically be the La Liga signing on the season.
The Andalucían side have added more top drawer talent than Cazorla though. Ruud van Nistelrooy brings many years of experience at the very highest level with Manchester United and Real Madrid to the squad. The Dutchman is 35 now but his goal scoring record really does speak for itself and his habit of scoring meaningful goals could be crucial for Malaga as they look to improve on their 11th place finish.
Another Dutchman joins in the shape of Joris Mathijsen; who brings a real pedigree. 72 caps and ever-present at the 2010 World Cup Mathijsen has proved a key player for his country, helping them to set defensive records en route to the World Cup Final. An important player for his former side Hamburg, the 31-year-old centre half won’t let many La Liga forwards get the better of him and for a fee of €2.5m he looks like being a very good piece of business.
Joaquin, once a record €25m purchase for Valencia, also joins up with Malaga this year for a cool €4m. Joaquin needs no introduction to fans of Spanish football. His creative and flamboyant style of play helped fire Valencia to 3rd place and the Champions League last season. The prospect of Joaquin and Cazorla on opposite flanks is truly mouth-watering.
Nacho Monreal looks like to step into the shoes of Joan Capdevila in the Spanish national side and he joins Malaga for €6m from Osasuna.
19-year-old Isco looks very much like one for the future and with a host of caps at every level up to U20, the young Spaniard will give Malaga fans something to look forward to. The relatively low price tag of €6m placed upon him shouldn’t prove too much of a burden on his shoulders.
Manuel Pellegrini has proved to have been astute in the transfer window already for Malaga with his January signings playing a key part in raising the side from relegation danger to a comfortable mid-table position. With the wealth available to him; big money moves like a swoop for Wesley Sneijder as was rumoured in the press aren’t out of the question. Although it is refreshing to see a club with new found wealth taking their own path rather than one so many clubs have walked before.
With some very perspicacious signings in place, Malaga look to be an exciting prospect for the season about to unfold. Pellegrini guided the team to 11th last year and it remains to be seen whether he will be given the time necessary to make this side succeed or whether instant success will be required. He could fall victim to the same fate as his predecessor Jesualdo Ferreira who was hastily sacked after a poor run of form. What is true though is many will expect Malaga to do significantly better than last year’s mid-table finish and Pellegrini will be aware of that.
Billionaire’s in charge of football clubs are not always the most reasonable of people as we have seen in Britain. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani seems happy to let Malaga sing from a different song sheet than the others in this most elite group of super-wealthy clubs and that is very refreshing.
