Since his display against Arsenal in the Champions League Lewis Holtby has become a name that has intrigued many in the footballing world. For those interested in the basic stuff he has an English father, a German mother, he supports Everton with his dad and opted for the German national team over England, so he is intelligent too.
He has been playing in the number 10 role for Schalke but can also ply his trade on the wing or in a deeper position but he is most affective in the hole behind the strikers. Many of you may be wondering why Spurs have signed him up so early, well don’t worry an answer is on the way.
Arsenal, Everton and many bigger names across Europe have been monitoring this young man closely but not been sure whether to take the risk and fork out around £10 million for a relatively unknown player. Now that his contract hit the magic 6 month till expiration mark it became much less of a risk.
A free transfer will 9 times out of 10 get you some money back if you decide that an amicable break up is best for both parties and this will have been music to Daniel Levy and the board at Arsenal’s ears. On top of that he is 22 and currently captain of the German U-21 squad that has pumped out quality midfielder after quality midfielder in recent years which is were the Juan Mata comparison comes in.
Mata has been Chelsea’s outstanding performer this season and is arguably one of the best in the Premiership but he is only on the peripheries of the Spain national squad. We all know that Spain have an embarrassment of riches in that position so it is no insult to Mata’s ability that he can’t always make the squad. Holtby is coming to the tricky bridge between U-21 and full international level that many have tried and failed to cross.
Right now Germany boast an outrageous midfield; Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira, Marco Reus, Mario Gotze, Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger to name but a few. Holtby may have to seize his opportunities with his club if he wants to make the most of his career.
With everything I have told you there is a chance that the niggling part of your brain might be considering the fact that Holtby is by no means a risk but don’t worry as I am just about to get to that. Yes Holtby has played superbly for the Germany U-21 team and when Schalke have been flying so has he but in recent times Schalke’s form has gotten so bad that they decided to sack the manager that masterminded an excellent route into the knockout stages of the Champions League by winning their group. Holtby hasn’t scored a goal for Schalke since September and has been guilty of vanishing like a hobbit wearing the one ring during games.
He has bettered his assists tally for last season and reached half his goal scoring one too so there is still time for Holtby to claw back some credit but it would be hard to have seen the 22 year old moving on if not for his non-existent transfer fee.
It may be premature to call him the German Juan Mata but with the plethora of talent ahead of him in the Germany dressing room his best chance to shine may be in white.
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.
I a word…no! Very average player
From what I’ve seen he’s more like the German Rosicky in playing style. A useful player but not the real game-changer that Mata is. Surely Mata, Silva, Fabregas and Cazorla are pretty interchangeable in the Spanish national team, and there’s not a great deal between each of them (for me, Mata is the best, though)?
If we were seriously interested in Lewis Holtby, then we would have signed him by now. Wenger clearly remains skeptical as to whether he can live up to his undoubted potential. He’s someone that we’ve had an eye on for a while and simply hasn’t done enough to warrant an official approach. Spurs have undoubtedly got themselves a good player, but whether Wenger has made a mistake and they’ve got a great player… I remain skeptical also.