|
Van der Vaart - A Good Deal For Everyone?
Clark Whitney
http://www.goal.com
Wednesday 03 August 2008
Real Madrid's biggest signing of
the summer was Dutch star Rafael Van der Vaart from
Hamburg. Clark Whitney asks whether this transfer was
good for all three parties - Madrid, Hamburg and the
player himself...
»Comments (25) Print This
Story Send To A Friend Contact Us galleria zoom There
is no doubt that Rafael Van der Vaart is a fantastic
footballer: the Dutch international was, alongside Diego,
the best central midfielder in the Bundesliga at the
time of his sale to Real Madrid. According to Goal.com’s
Abhishek Thakur, his transfer for a reported €9
million was the best European deal this summer, and
I would emphatically agree. That said, the deal was
not only a great outcome for the player himself and
Real Madrid; it may have been the best thing that could
have happened to his former club, Hamburger SV.
With the 25 year old on their payroll, Hamburg were
almost at the mercy of their captain. At first, this
meant that the team’s offense would become stagnant
in the event of an injury to their playmaker. For example,
after a 2005-2006 season that saw a healthy Van der
Vaart lead his team to a 3rd place Bundesliga finish,
the first half of the 2006-2007 season was a disaster
for Hamburg, who were without the three-time Ajax Talent
of The Year for six Bundesliga matches.
When the versatile midfielder was on the pitch, he
struggled for form and, consequentially, Hamburg entered
the winter break in the relegation zone. After the holiday
period, however, Hamburg sprang to life, as an in-form
Van der Vaart led his team to victory against high-table
opponents Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen and Schalke.
Hamburg rode their star player’s form for the rest
of the season as they finished 7th in the Bundesliga,
earning themselves a UEFA Cup berth.
Later on, his injury became the least of Hamburg’s
concerns. His heroic performances for Hamburg saw him
draw a fair amount of attention from Europe’s finest
clubs, and the Dutchman publicly stated his intentions
to complete a dream transfer to Valencia. However, Hamburg
refused to consider offloading their budding superstar.
In apparent desperation, Van der Vaart sat out of his
club’s first 2007-2008 UEFA Cup tie against Hungarian
side Honved after complaining about mild back pain he
allegedly sustained from lifting his one-year-old son.
Needless to say, he was almost surely feigning injury
in order to avoid being cup-tied. Days later, “Rafa”,
as he is now affectionately known in Spain, posed for
Spanish journalists while holding a Valencia shirt.
In spite of his best efforts to force a transfer, he
remained in Hamburg colours for another year. Throughout
the 2007-2008 season, he performed at his own discretion,
although he did help his team manage a fourth-place
finish in the Bundesliga.
The ex-Ajax man finally achieved his goal of moving
to Spain when, on August 4th, he completed a transfer
to Real Madrid. Having seen what happened to his club
when Van der Vaart was injured, chairman Bernd Hoffmann
was well prepared to make up for the loss of his playmaker
with a series of new signings.
Burkina Faso international Jonathan Pitroipa was the
first to come to Martin Jol’s side, sealing a four-year
deal in January. The speedy winger is said to have great
potential as a possible replacement for Van der Vaart’s
creative spark.
Having learned their lesson, Hamburg wisely decided
not to put all their hopes in Pitroipa’s development:
in the early summer, Jol’s side also acquired 21-year-old
Dennis Aogo. The emerging central midfielder earned
a starting role at Freiburg at the tender age of 17
and could become Van der Vaart’s long-term successor.
More likely to succeed Rafa as creative playmaker is
Thiago Neves, who signed for Hamburg on August 30th.
The 23-year-old Fluminense star is adept at playing
a central role and on the left flank, and is known for
his playmaking and accurate long-range efforts.
Midfield was not the only position that Hamburg reinforced
during the offseason: on August 28, the club confirmed
the signings of Alex Silva and Marcell Jansen. Silva’s
coming is less the result of Van der Vaart’s transfer,
and more the result of Vincent Kompany’s departure
and Hamburg’s sudden need for a central defender.
Jansen, however, came in part due to the funds obtained
from Rafa’s sale. A rare combination of fast, strong
and tall, Jansen is a good defender and an absolute
menace on the left in his attacking half. He brings
his strength, good ball control, and excellent crossing
ability to Hamburg.
Finally, in seek of a more consistent scorer than Mohamed
Zidan, Hamburg traded the Egyptian international and
a reported €5 million for Borussia Dortmund’s
Mladen Petric.
All things considered, how could Hamburg not benefit
from the sale of their midfield maestro? The club would
never have signed Neves if not for the Dutch international’s
departure and, although we may never know the truth,
it seems as though Pitroipa and Aogo were intended to
act as future replacements should Van der Vaart have
left the club at the end of the 2008-09 season. While
there is no certainty that any of these three will truly
become his replacement, it is likely that the combination
of the three will suffice. Moreover, the Oranje playmaker’s
sale gave Hamburg enough funds to bring in a tremendous
wealth of talent on the left side (Jansen), and a reliable
striker (Petric).
Most importantly, Hamburg’s fate will no longer
rest on one man’s shoulders. Hoffmann and Jol will
no longer lose sleep over injuries, and the Hamburg
offense will be a less predictable and more dynamic
attacking machine. Could Hamburg, Real Madrid and Van
der Vaart have all benefited from the Dutchman’s
transfer? Of course: after all, since when has there
been a zero-sum rule in the world of football transfers?
|
