German Playmakers bookend busy transfer window for number 10s

Over £220m worth of playmaking talent moved this summer. And Kaka…

Newly installed European champions Bayern Munich had already kicked things off prior to the official opening of the window by mischievously meeting the buyout clause to sign wunderkind Mario Götze from arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund, just before the two teams met in the end of season showpiece at Wembley.

What effect did his move have on the European market once it opened for business on the 1st July? Let’s take a look at how the dominoes fell, with 10 (whatever else?) other headline-grabbing moves involving playmakers around the Continent, in what became a huge game of musical chairs – football style – staying with Götze’s new team, via the Euro Under 21 Championships.

1 & 2. Euro Under-21 Champions keep the ball rolling…

Spain’s general dominance at international level continued (Confederations Cup aside) as their classy Under-21 team swept aside the rest of the competition by spectacularly winning the European Under-21 Championships in Israel. A team containing an embarrassment of riches, two of their star playmaking performers became the subject of high profile transfers.

Isco had long been tipped to leave Malaga once the season ended, but whilst many thought he would follow former coach Manuel Pellegrini to Manchester City, he chose to stay in Spain and, despite his Barcelona connections, became a Real Madrid player, at a cost of €30m.

Meanwhile, his captain at international level, Thiago Alcantara, became a slightly surprising signing by the Bavarians, considering Götze’s arrival, and the number of attacking midfielders already on their books. Despite strong interest from Manchester United (who then switched focus – and failed again – to Thiago’s (ex)teammate, Cesc Fabregas), it seemed the lure of Pep Guardiola was a key factor in his decision to join the Bundesliga outfit from Barcelona at a cost of €20 million – somewhat cheaper than his release clause of €90 million, which became void after certain aspects relating to the amount of his playing time at the Camp Nou were not met.

So, with Thiago joining Götze at Bayern, what of the number 10 shaped hole left at Dortmund?

3. Götze’s replacement at Dortmund is…

The Champions League runners-up refused to keep their heads down for long, despite the triple set-backs of losing their league crown, best player, and European Cup final all in one season by pulling off one of the coups of the summer window. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was near (if not at) the top of most European scouts shopping lists after completing a phenomenal season with Shakhtar Donetsk, where he bagged 25 goals in just 29 games (including 10 assists). Liverpool FC thought they had done enough to secure the Armenian’s signature initially, however complications surrounding his third-party ownership and a lack of European football to offer allowed Dortmund to calmly complete the deal and ease the pain of  Götze’s treachery.

4. Mkhitaryan’s replacement is…

Shakhtar were resigned to losing their stand-out performer but made up for their loss by capturing one of the hottest properties on the market. Fresh from winning the Copa Libertadores, they brought in Atletico Mineiro’s Bernard, who was again chased by Liverpool, as well as Arsenal and FC Porto. The Ukraine’s have a recent history of snapping up exciting new talent from Brazil and, Neymar aside, Bernard is seen as the country’s latest young superstar.

5. From new to old Brazilian star…

Whilst Bernard embarks on a new challenge of European football, one Brazilian who has been there, done it and worn the (Jesus) t-shirt is Kaka, who returned to his beloved AC Milan – for free. Yes, 4 years after completing his (briefly held) world record transfer to Real Madrid, his unhappy stint in Spain has come to an end. It was quite a deal for the Rossoneri, regardless of how far their former star has fallen, with Kaka also taking a paycut of around 50% to wear his old number 22 shirt again. Whilst this transfer somewhat cleverly placates many of the restless Milan fans, it did little for the realists, who saw their team miss out on many of the club’s alleged targets, made even more baffling by the apparent availability of such players – like…

6. Fiorentina ‘Serb’ up a tidy profit…

Milan had been heavily linked with Fiorentina’s Adem Ljajic throughout the summer. However, transfer dealings between the two clubs have been strained ever since il Viola lost midfield schemer Riccardo Montolivo to the Milan giants on a free transfer – announcing the deal a year ahead of schedule. As the ‘will he, won’t he leave’ saga continued around Ljajic, one deal that was concluded was the sale of Stevan Jovetic to Manchester City for a tidy sum of £22m. The Serb had long been expected to leave Florence and the Premier League was always the most likely destination. Meanwhile…

7. Nice ‘not’ doing business with you…

Heavily reluctant to let Milan benefit again from one of their exiting stars, Fiorentina chose to sell Ljajic to Roma instead, for a fee of just €11m (rising to €15m). Ljajic, another skilful Serb headed to the Italian capital as a replacement for…

8. Hot Spurs splash Bale cash…

Bought with ‘Bale’ money before the Welsh winger officially became a Real Madrid Galactico, Spurs replaced their outgoing star with more than a few signings – one of which was Erik Lamela. The Argentine joined for €30m, with many Roma fans lamenting the loss of a player once proclaimed Totti’s ‘heir’ by the man himself. Tottenham didn’t stop there however…

9. Eriksen joins Lamela…

The North London club managed to sign one of the hottest playmaking properties in Europe as they swooped late in the day to sign Ajax prodigy Christian Eriksen for just £11.5m. The young Dane, who was entering the final year of his contract, was closely linked with many major clubs during the summer including Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, and AC Milan, though quite why nobody took the plunge on the talented midfielder until Spurs, right at the end of the window, is still a mystery. With Spurs landing not one, but two, potential world class playmakers of the future, their cross-city rivals were finally stirred into action…

10. Arsenal do a deal…

Arsene Wenger tempered Arsenal fans’ outrage at the club’s failure to land a ‘marquee’ signing by landing Mesut Özil on deadline day, for a whopping £42.5m. It was then Real Madrid fans, and even some key players, who were left feeling furious that their club had sanctioned a deal to let the mercurial German number 10 leave. Some sources suggest that no individual has created more goals over the last 3 seasons across the top European leagues than Özil, however, is this the player Arsenal really needed? The player was initially reluctant to leave La Liga, despite added competition which saw him drop down the pecking order at Real, behind the likes of…

…after reading story 1 above, you already know the answer; the 2013 summer playmaking merry-go round, perpetually swirls.