It was only last week that I penned an article questioning exactly why players make moves to so called ‘bigger clubs’ just to warm their bench – or these days be warmed by the heated seats – and while the examples I used were more in the Scott Sinclair mould, Luka Modric who has recently moved to one of the biggest clubs in the world and certainly one with the best squad could have just has easily been a prime candidate.
Of course learning a new language, playing in the Champions League and the wages are all understandable lures, not to mention the sunshine in Madrid, but one of the major factors is the club itself. Should a giant like Real Madrid or Barcelona come knocking on your door it is pretty hard to resist taking the plunge and moving – if you don’t, how do you ever forgive yourself?
Believing you can make it at the top is something that all players have to possess, otherwise they will never actually make it. However, there also has to be an element of realism in there if a young lad is not to waste the biggest and best years of his life sat on his backside on the bench or even worse in the stands of any club – never mind if they are the best in the world, they may as well be in the third tier of Scottish football for all the good it will do them in furthering their career.
It is entirely true and totally understandable that a player’s better judgement and indeed that of their parents and advisors may be overshadowed by that of a giant coming calling– note the removal of agent from this list, the transfer fee may interest them but the player’s career? Probably not.
There are two clubs in the world at the minute, who if they come calling, you do not say no. Should either the Catalan or Castilian powerhouses of Spanish football express an interest in a player, they owe it to themselves to make the move and at least try and see if they can break into the first team – Luka Modric may be a back-up for Ozil, but this does not mean he cannot make an impact and potentially replace him in the starting line-up.
If nothing else, the experience of working under a coach such as Mourinho is worth making the move alone – at the end of the day the worst that can happen is playing as a bit part player for a couple of seasons and seeking a move or a loan – the real problem lies when players make the move, fail to break through and even more detrimentally to his career, fail to then press for a move. Being a bench warmer for one season is just about acceptable, but doing it for any longer essentially ruins what could have been a brilliant career.
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