Chelsea announced the consummation of their first foray into the summer transfer market with several weeks of last season still to play, with Werder Bremen playmaker Marko Marin sealing an off-season switch to Stamford Bridge on a five year deal reportedly worth around £6.5 million.
The midfielder will officially sign for the Blues on July 1 when the Premier League transfer window opens and, after revealing he turned down a move to Spurs, went on to proclaim he is more than confident of holding his own within the first team:
I am sure that I will play for Chelsea. Why? Because they took me to London. The management has convinced me. They have won the Champions League. The club, the scouting, the management, they have often observed me and they are convinced that I can help the team.
The Statistics
Born is Bosnia, Marin moved with his family to Frankfurt at the age of two. A spell of nine years in Eintracht Frankfurt’s youth setup paved the way for a move to Borussia Monchengladbach in 2005, and Marin eventually graduated to the senior squad at the tail end of the 2006/07 season, facing his former club on his full professional debut.
Two fruitful seasons at the Prussian outfit earned Marin a move to Bundesliga mainstays Werder Bremen in 2009, where he formed a formidable attacking partnership with Mesut Ozil and Aaron Hunt. A gifted wide player, Marin was drafted into attacking central midfield following Ozil’s departure to Real Madrid.
Never a prolific goalscorer, Marin’s best tally for a Bundesliga campaign is four, and his final season sojourn in the number 10 role at Bremen saw his output dwindle still further. However, he is a remarkably consistent provider, having returned an average of ten assists per season between 2008-09 and 2010-11 before a downturn in game time and performance last time round. In total, he played a combined 155 league games for MGladbach and Bremen, scoring 16 goals and providing 36 assists.
The Prospects
While Marin’s above-mentioned confidence will stand him in good stead if the going gets tough, his words were uttered well before Roman Abramovich splashed the cash to acquire Eden Hazard. With Roberto Di Matteo now installed on a permanent basis, the 4-2-3-1 formation is likely to continue and the two new boys merely add to an already congested area.
Hazard, along with Juan Mata, is surely a guaranteed starter, with the Belgian arriving at Stamford Bridge after being given assurances over his game time. Similar to the two marquee signings, Marin, while a natural winger, is widely considered as being versatile enough to play anywhere across midfield. A role in the attacking midfield area would afford Di Matteo a trio of tricky, ball-playing creators behind Fernando Torres, though with more signings looking imminent, question marks are already placed against his ability to hold down a regular first-team role, with the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda also thrown into the mix.
Further back in the double-pivot, there are plenty of options already at the Bridge – Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard, Raul Meireles and Ramires are all more physical types than the diminutive Marin, suggesting Di Matteo may opt to utilise him in a more attacking role. Being left out of the Germany squad for Euro 2012 certainly won’t hurt his chances of getting an early crack of the whip next term, with many of his teammates likely to be eased into preseason following their summer exertions.
Historically low on goals and high on assists, Marin is unlikely to be smiled upon by the EA PPI system. A Fantasy Premier League (FPL) valuation of 8.0 or below may yet tempt investors away from Chelsea’s established midfield heavyweights like Mata and Lampard if he can establish himself in the side, while fellow new boy Hazard could well be classified as a forward – similar to former Lille team mate Gervinho upon his arrival at Arsenal last term – making Marin an intriguing mid-price alternative.
While Marin has the talent and potential to flourish in his new surroundings, his prospects may well be influenced by Abramovich’s determination to continue his squad rebuilding in light of the Champions League win in May. It remains to be seen where the new signing will fit into the complex hierarchical jigsaw of the Chelsea dressing room and for Fantasy managers, then, it’s very much a case of wait and see.
