Mesut Ozil can
be Real Madrid star for next 10 years, hails Jose Mourinho after
landing bargain £12.4m Germany
playmaker
Galacticozil: Mesut Ozil holds his new shirt after
signing for Real Madrid for £12.4million
Jose Mourinho has backed Mesut Ozil to be a key player
for Real Madrid for a decade. The Germany midfielder has completed
his move to the Bernabeu from Werder Bremen for a fee believed to
be in the region of £12.4million.
'He's a player who can play for Real Madrid for 10 years,'
Madrid boss Mourinho told Marca after his side drew 1-1 with
Standard Liege in a pre-season friendly.
'His contract was running out so we could get him at a lot less
than his actual market value. 'With Kaka's injury, Ozil and
Sergio (Canales) are two players who can give us a lot.'
The arrival of 21-year-old Ozil, who will be officially unveiled
at a press conference on Wednesday, has sparked another round of
speculation surrounding the future of Rafael van der
Vaart.
The Holland midfielder scored Madrid's goal against Liege, but
did not celebrate - a fact some took to mean he was on his way out
of the club.
But Mourinho said: 'For us it was just a training match. The
result was not very important. I don't give any importance to the
fact that Van der Vaart did not celebrate his goal. I didn't
(celebrate) either. It was a friendly.
'For me, Van der Vaart is still as important as before the Ozil
transfer. As always, I will listen to the wishes of the
players.'
Mourinho declared himself happy with his business in the
transfer market this summer.
Relaxed: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho (left)
insisted that Rafael van der Vaart still featured in his plans
despite the signing of fellow midfielder Ozil
It has been a lower-key recruitment drive than last year
for Madrid, with Ozil very much the headline name on a list which
also includes Canales, Sami Khedira, Ricardo Carvalho, Pedro Leon
and Angel Di Maria.
'In a market that is affected by the bad economic situation,
without making a signing like Kaka or Cristiano (Ronaldo), the club
has invested enough,' he said.
One player seemingly not making the move to Madrid this summer
is Romelu Lukaku, the 17-year-old Anderlecht striker who has caught
Mourinho's attention.
'His father is very intelligent and will not let his son go
now,' said Mourinho. 'We will see next season.'