Eljero Elia, the Dutch winger playing in the Bundesliga with Hamburg, has been the subject of a solid bid, after several clubs had been reportedly monitoring him over the past few seasons. Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United have all been said to be watching the 23 year-old, but it is Wigan Athletic who have been the confirmed bidders.
Hamburg’s sporting director Bernhard Reinhardt said:
“We cannot deny there is interest, but there is only one specific offer which came from Wigan to take him on loan for six months. But [we] will not rush to agree to such things. Apart from that, there have been no offers.”
Elia is a very pacey winger or striker, and in 2009, he won the prestigious Johan Cruijff Award for “Young Player of the Year” in the Netherlands, and the player not only has skill in abundance, but confidence in that skill too, so much so, he has very real aspirations to play with three of the biggest clubs in the world:
“I have learned a lot in the Bundesliga. I am very grateful to the HSA. HSV is also a top team. But I would love to play for one of the special clubs such as Real Madrid, FC Barcelona or Manchester United.”
“I played with the Dutch national team at the World Cup and showed what level I can perform at, I passed that test.”
Elia has several possibilities to choose from, all really depending on where he thinks his long term future realistically lies. A move to Wigan could potentially be a good move, as he would find first team Premier League games, as well as valuable English football experience.
If he is dreaming of a Manchester United move in the future, there is no better way of getting noticed than playing against them and proving his worth at the highest level with Wigan. However, with Manchester United seemingly having their position covered in Nani, (the injured) Valencia and Ji Sung Park, as well as being strongly linked to a move for Alexis Sanchez, Elia wouldn’t be top of United’s transfer target list.
Alternatively, Liverpool. The clubs position is quite unstable at the moment, and for a player with a history of attitude problems, a transfer to Anfield may not be his best option. Time will tell whether this obvious young talent will choose to move to England and possibly fulfil a dream, or stay in Germany with Hamburg, unable to fulfil his big ambitions.
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