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Money will coax players to Malaga, but success is harder to snare
7 Jun 2011
THE socios of Barcelona will not be fretting unduly yet. Nor will the powerbrokers at Real Madrid be rushing around in a panic. You can be sure, though, that both will be observing recent events at Malaga CF with more than just a passing interest.
The sunshine city on Spain’s southern coast has always been a popular spot with tourists but it is the influx of new permanent residents that has caused something of a stir. Malaga may be one of La Liga’s least fashionable clubs but their recent recruitment policy suggests they have both the ambition and wherewithal to alter the shape of Spanish football dramatically.
The signing of Julio Baptista and Martin Demichelis in January were the first signs that Malaga, almost relegated to the third tier of Spanish football just four years ago, intended making some waves. Granted, Baptista’s star had faded somewhat in recent seasons and Demichelis had fallen out of favour at Bayern Munich, but both were still proven South American internationalists and of decent pedigree. The arrival of the pair helped guide Malaga away from the relegation zone and into a fairly comfortable 11th-place finish.
Then the fun really started. It seems not a day has gone past this summer without Malaga, managed by Manuel Pellegrini, himself a manager of some repute, being linked with another star of the European game. If their signings and targets are not quite out of the top drawer – no European football next season means they cannot persuade the very elite to join their growing band – then the names are impressive enough.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, another whose best years may be behind him but still a worthy acquisition, completed his transfer from Hamburger SV last week and a raft of others are apparently not far behind, eager to sign up to join Pellegrini’s revolution. Joaquin from Valencia has been quoted as a target, as has Lucho Gonzalez, the Argentinian midfielder currently with Marseille. Now Kaka, who is not a regular at Real Madrid, and Lucio of Internazionale have been mentioned as possible future signings, raising the bar further.
The rush to relocate to Spain’s south coast has little to do with the weather or its Picasso museum
Unsurprisingly, the rush to relocate to Spain’s south coast has little to do with the weather, or its apparently charming Picasso museum, and all to do with money. Lots of it. Malaga were a fairly humdrum club, beset with financial worries, when Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani appeared on the scene early last year. After four or five months of negotiations, the Qatari billionaire was persuaded to part with around £35m to purchase the majority shareholding owned by former president Fernando Sanz.
As the first example of foreign investment in a La Liga club, the acquisition made a lot of headlines around Spain. “We want to consolidate the club in La Liga and afterwards aspire to higher things,” said Abdullah Ghubn, who would go on to become Malaga’s chief executive and vice-president.
Those “higher things” now include qualification for Europe next season. Should their forays into the transfer market continue at such a pace over the summer, then the requisite top-seven finish should prove a modest target. “The media was mentioning 120 names but I don’t think we can go for 120,” Ghubn is quoted as saying, although he made it sound as if they had given it some thought before ruling it out.
“We have a plan to do something very big so our dream is not limited to one level. We have an agenda, we have a philosophy, we have time to do something very special for this club.” Money, apparently, is no object. “We have no limited budget,” he added. “You have to look for the right players to suit your project so you cannot be very specific on how much you have to spend.”
Comparisons with Manchester City are inevitable. City have been similarly transformed by Middle Eastern money – their owner Sheikh Mansour is from the United Arab Emirates – with exorbitant transfer fees paid out in recent seasons with barely a moment’s hesitation. The return on investment has, thus far, proved fairly miserly – the FA Cup is back in Manchester but the expected chase for the championship last season soon fizzled out – and the signings, like Malaga’s targets, have been largely from the second tier.
Champions League qualification could change all that but for now the message from Manchester is that no amount of money can guarantee you success. It should serve as a warning to Malaga, but something tells you they’re not really in the mood to listen right now.
Money will coax players to Malaga, but success is harder to snare
7 Jun 2011
THE socios of Barcelona will not be fretting unduly yet. Nor will the powerbrokers at Real Madrid be rushing around in a panic. You can be sure, though, that both will be observing recent events at Malaga CF with more than just a passing interest.
The sunshine city on Spain’s southern coast has always been a popular spot with tourists but it is the influx of new permanent residents that has caused something of a stir. Malaga may be one of La Liga’s least fashionable clubs but their recent recruitment policy suggests they have both the ambition and wherewithal to alter the shape of Spanish football dramatically.
The signing of Julio Baptista and Martin Demichelis in January were the first signs that Malaga, almost relegated to the third tier of Spanish football just four years ago, intended making some waves. Granted, Baptista’s star had faded somewhat in recent seasons and Demichelis had fallen out of favour at Bayern Munich, but both were still proven South American internationalists and of decent pedigree. The arrival of the pair helped guide Malaga away from the relegation zone and into a fairly comfortable 11th-place finish.
Then the fun really started. It seems not a day has gone past this summer without Malaga, managed by Manuel Pellegrini, himself a manager of some repute, being linked with another star of the European game. If their signings and targets are not quite out of the top drawer – no European football next season means they cannot persuade the very elite to join their growing band – then the names are impressive enough.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, another whose best years may be behind him but still a worthy acquisition, completed his transfer from Hamburger SV last week and a raft of others are apparently not far behind, eager to sign up to join Pellegrini’s revolution. Joaquin from Valencia has been quoted as a target, as has Lucho Gonzalez, the Argentinian midfielder currently with Marseille. Now Kaka, who is not a regular at Real Madrid, and Lucio of Internazionale have been mentioned as possible future signings, raising the bar further.
The rush to relocate to Spain’s south coast has little to do with the weather or its Picasso museum
Unsurprisingly, the rush to relocate to Spain’s south coast has little to do with the weather, or its apparently charming Picasso museum, and all to do with money. Lots of it. Malaga were a fairly humdrum club, beset with financial worries, when Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani appeared on the scene early last year. After four or five months of negotiations, the Qatari billionaire was persuaded to part with around £35m to purchase the majority shareholding owned by former president Fernando Sanz.
As the first example of foreign investment in a La Liga club, the acquisition made a lot of headlines around Spain. “We want to consolidate the club in La Liga and afterwards aspire to higher things,” said Abdullah Ghubn, who would go on to become Malaga’s chief executive and vice-president.
Those “higher things” now include qualification for Europe next season. Should their forays into the transfer market continue at such a pace over the summer, then the requisite top-seven finish should prove a modest target. “The media was mentioning 120 names but I don’t think we can go for 120,” Ghubn is quoted as saying, although he made it sound as if they had given it some thought before ruling it out.
“We have a plan to do something very big so our dream is not limited to one level. We have an agenda, we have a philosophy, we have time to do something very special for this club.” Money, apparently, is no object. “We have no limited budget,” he added. “You have to look for the right players to suit your project so you cannot be very specific on how much you have to spend.”
Comparisons with Manchester City are inevitable. City have been similarly transformed by Middle Eastern money – their owner Sheikh Mansour is from the United Arab Emirates – with exorbitant transfer fees paid out in recent seasons with barely a moment’s hesitation. The return on investment has, thus far, proved fairly miserly – the FA Cup is back in Manchester but the expected chase for the championship last season soon fizzled out – and the signings, like Malaga’s targets, have been largely from the second tier.
Champions League qualification could change all that but for now the message from Manchester is that no amount of money can guarantee you success. It should serve as a warning to Malaga, but something tells you they’re not really in the mood to listen right now.