Ronald Koeman has wasted little time in continuing his restructuring of the Southampton first-team squad by snapping up winger Eljero Elia on loan from Werder Bremen. The deal – which also affords the Saints an option of making the move a permanent one – went through in the first minute of the winter transfer window, though doesn’t come without controversy after the player caught the headlines for a number of off-field incidents.
Koeman has moved quickly to play down the Mario Balotelli comparisons and has insisted that, once the new boy gets his fitness up to speed, he’ll be handed the opportunity to establish himself at St Mary’s:
“If I had doubts about his private life I wouldn’t sign him. It’s the press and rumours, it’s not true. We need really good players who want to develop themselves and be professional here. He’s a serious boy and he wants the chance to play football. He has the chance to play football at Southampton. It’s a good step, a big step for him. He’s still not 100 per cent because he didn’t play the last few months. But for the next weekend he will be prepared and he has to take his chance.”
The History
A product of the Den Haag youth system in his native Holland, Elia made his professional debut in 2004 as a 17-year-old and, on the back of six goals and four assists in 60 appearances, was snapped up by FC Twente after falling out with Den Haag coach Lex Schoenmaker.
Under the guidance of Steve McLaren, Elia’s performances enhanced his burgeoning reputation – 16 goals and 12 assists in 83 appearances earned him the accolade of Dutch Football Talent of the Year in 2009 and, having spurned the advances of both Ajax and PSV, signed for German outfit Hamburg in July that year in a deal that cost the club €8.5m.
His time in the Bundesliga was marred by an ankle injury and a period spent on the sidelines due to an infection caused by a poorly-applied tattoo. With his pitch time somewhat limited, Elia managed eight goals and 12 assists in 65 outings before making his way to Italy to sign for Juventus. Five appearances and one season later, he was back on the move after the Old Lady granted him a transfer request. Elia headed back to the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen but a contribution of five goals and eight assists in 68 matches was overshadowed by off-field antics, including social media spats, which ultimately saw him forced onto the periphery.
On the international stage, the winger scored three times in 23 appearances at youth level. Elia has subsequently featured 28 times for the Netherlands senior side and found the net on a couple of occasions.
The Prospects
Initially signed as cover due to Sadio Mane’s Africa Cup of Nations call-up, Elia seems poised to battle with Shane Long for a starting berth after the Senegal international was ruled out of action for the next four to six weeks with a calf injury. Frustratingly for Koeman, Mane’s loss comes at a time when he had finally found his feet in the English top flight and notched in three successive league outings before being forced off against Chelsea on New Year’s Day.
Whilst Elia has the same sort of blistering pace and trickery on the ball as Mane, as the above stats show, he has lacked an end product to his game that is likely to initially deter Fantasy managers. Elsewhere in the Saints’ midfield, Koeman will be buoyed by Dusan Tadic’s recent return to form – the Serbian has a goal and two assists in his last four appearances after a barren autumn period – and with the Saints entering the New Year on the back of a draw with Chelsea and win over Arsenal, there’s reason for optimism at St Mary’s once again.
Certainly, one look at the fixture ticker shows the Saints’ schedule is set to take a significant turn for the better around Gameweek 23. Koeman’s side face four home fixtures (SWA, WHM, LIV, CPL) and trips to QPR and West Brom during that period, but unless Elia can improve upon his consistency, it seems we may be best served to focus on Koeman’s defence with our winter Wildcards, with Ryan Bertrand and Nathaniel Clyne remaining the best bets. Mane’s recent rise to prominence is also worth considering once he’s back in contention, leaving Elia a tough task to cement a place in our future plans.
