So, Carlos Vela eh?
The president of Real Sociedad, Jokin Aperribay, is quoted in the papers this morning, saying:
Arsenal have informed us that Vela would be with them next season.
Which is interesting, I guess. Yesterday, I watched an interview with him (3’30 for the Arsenal stuff) sent to me via Twitter by @OrlandoGooner, and assuming the man isn’t just having a laugh which will then see him point to his first name, wink and go ‘Eh?! EH?!’, he spoke about other big clubs being interested in Vela.
It’s been a long time since I listened to, or tried to understand any Spanish, but I don’t think we were the only club hinted as a possible destination. Still, there has been plenty of support for the return of the Mexican who has, since he went to Spain, flourished to an extent and he looks a much better player than he ever did with us.
I’ve written before why I think that is but to clarify: Spanish football suits him; playing in a team in which he’s got more responsibility suits him; playing at a club where there’s less pressure than Arsenal suits him; and the culture, climate and lifestyle in Spain suits him.
Despite his growth as a player many of the issues which saw his time with us end in relative failure are still relevant and it would, in my opinion, be a big risk to bring him back and expect his performance level not to drop. What role does he take anyway? The Podolski/Cazorla role on the left, or as a more central striker? It’s hard to argue that in either case he’s a player who drastically improves us.
Anyway, I thought I’d have a quick look at the numbers to see if we could glean anything from that. You know I’m a words guy, others do the numbers stuff much better than I could, but still.
So, since he went to Spain in 2011/12 (on loan, move made permanent the following season), his goal tally has been increasing. In 2011-12 he scored 12 goals in 35 appearances, in 2012-13 it was 14 goals in 35 appearances, and last season he got 17 from 43 appearances. In the same seasons he has provided 7, 9 and then 12 assists, so you can certainly argue that he’s a player making steady progress.
Yet is he the kind of player who is going to add something we don’t already have to the squad? As a team that needs somebody who can make the difference against the biggest and best opposition, I’m unsure that Vela fits the bill. In three seasons he has scored just one goal against Barcelona or Real Madrid, that coming in his first season when on loan from Arsenal. Barcelona won the game.
Last season and the season before, he also failed to score against Atletico Madrid, and in Sociedad’s six Champions League games he managed just one goal (away to Bayer Leverkeusen in a game that Sociedad lost 2-1). You might make you think that he’s a player who, when the level increases, finds it more difficult to score.
Perhaps that would be offset somewhat by playing in a better team, with better players around him, but I still don’t think it’s any coincidence that he was primarily a Carling Cup player for us. I’m convinced that part of why things didn’t go well for him at Arsenal was because he simply didn’t enjoy English football or living in England, and although he said recently he’d be better prepared for those cultural changes if he did return, it would be really odd to think that this wouldn’t be an issue.
We do have a clause in his contract which allows us to buy him back for a little over what we sold him for. Part of that clause stipulates that we have to keep him for at least a season so there’s no question of buying him then shifting him on straight away to make profit.
There’s also a very hefty sell-on clause (up to 50% I believe) should Sociedad transfer him elsewhere. To my mind, it would make much more sense for us to feign interest to try and drive up his price a little bit, take the chunk of cash that we’d get if he did move somewhere like Atletico, and use that money to sign a player whose quality, and qualities, would serve us better than Vela.
I would be hugely surprised, and somewhat underwhelmed, if we brought him back, and I think this might be a case of transfer shenanigans from a number of angles.
Till tomorrow.
