Martin Samuel replies: Which player would you take a chance on from Euro 2008?

After the footballing fiesta that was Euro 2008, the game is awash with a host of new names who rose to prominence with their eye-catching performances in Austria and Switzerland.

Russian footballers are in demand again, Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko in particular, but also players such as Alexander Anyukov and Yuri Zhirkov are being considered. Others such as Mario Gomez, the German forward, and Italy's Luca Toni left the tournament with their repuatations damaged.

And so Martin Samuel has posed the question: Which player would you take a chance on from Euro 2008?

You had plenty to say on the matter - now Martin replies to the best of your comments.

This may sound crazy but I would go for Mario Gomez of Germany. Yes, he was ineffectual in the tournament in an ordinary German team, but his club form is incredible.

At Euro 2008, he suffered from playing with Miroslav Klose, they are too similar and do not work as a partnership. I'd much rather spend money on what I see over 40 games and 12 months than a handful of matches. Bayern Munich already have Luca Toni. Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea could do worse than a £15m punt. If anything Gomez’s poor showing means a bargain is to be had. Rod

MS: Or that he’s rubbish against good defenders, Rod. And it’s going to cost £15m to find out. If that is your idea of a bargain, I am glad you are not spending my money.

I would certainly question the standard of the Bundesliga considering Toni enjoyed a reign of terror there last season, before a dismal European Championship tournament. German football, of late, seems the precise opposite of English: the national team overachieves, while the clubs underachieve.

If Gomez could not rise to the occasion for his country when so many limited players did, I would have serious doubts about his success in what is, right now, the strongest league in the world. Germany’s peak performance was against Portugal and Gomez did not feature in that match, presumably after the miss of the tournament in the previous match against Austria. Not sure about this one, Rod. Sorry.

I am glad you mentioned Yuri Zhirkov. He was the outstanding full-back in many of the games he played. If not first choice material for the big four, he would be an excellent signing for someone like Newcastle United. Matt

Yuri Zhirkov: as a winger, though, never a full back. James

MS: Small difference of opinion here but, I agree, Zhirkov was one of the successes of the tournament: right up until the moment he met Andres Iniesta of Spain in the semi-final, which supports Matt’s point about a club outside the big four, perhaps, and James’s concern about his use as a conventional full-back.

As an Arsenal fan, one player in this tournament stood out for me as being the perfect replacement for Robert Pires after all these years, and the missing jigsaw piece for a talented and improving side: David Silva.

I thought he was every bit as important to Spain’s success as Xavi Hernandez, Fernando Torres and David Villa. He dribbles well, has an eye for the killer pass and his versatility makes him perfect for Arsene Wenger’s team. He could make a huge impact in the Premier League. Richie Woodcock

MS: I liked Silva, too, and despite their Copa del Rey victory, Valencia do seem to be in the doldrums at the moment. Spanish players will be at a premium right now, however, for obvious reasons, and that could put him out of Arsenal’s price range.

The player who impressed me most in terms of his efficiency and consistency throughout the competition was Spain's Marcos Senna. He would be a perfect fit in the Premier League. I hope that Felipe Scolari has got him on his list. Barrie Collins

MS: He should have. If Portugal had Senna in midfield at Euro 2008, they might have got beyond the quarter-finals; it was the absence of a world class guarding player that killed them.

I agree that replacing the aging Claude Makelele at Chelsea will be key because Michael Essien would be wasted in that role and John Obi Mikel is young and picks up too many bookings to last a season doing it. Senna is top class and has been for some time at Villareal.

Arda Turan of Turkey is better than Gheorghe Hagi and still only 21. A stellar future awaits him. Raul

MS: Not sure he is better than Hagi, but would agree with that last part.

Manuel Almunia is not good enough for Arsenal, and the best three goalkeepers at Euro 2008 – Edwin Van Der Sar, Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas – are unlikely to be available, but Igor Akinfeev, the Russian goalkeeper, also impressed me. He is only 22, has been playing for CSKA Moscow since the age of 17 and has helped them win many trophies, including the 2005 UEFA cup. There is room for improvement, mostly in dealing with crosses, but the same could be said of many goalkeepers (even Casillas chose to punch the ball instead of catching it). Anthony

MS: I share your reservations about Almunia, but is Akinfeev not much the same: adequate for the second tier clubs, but not the elite? You seemed to admit as much by not putting him in the top three at a 16 team tournament.

Orlando Engelaar, Holland’s holding midfield player, is worth a try, especially as his asking price is only £6m, which is pretty low by Premier League standards. TMGSpurs

MS: I thought Engelaar was stitched on to follow his old boss at Twente, Enschede, to Schalke 04. If that deal is not done, I agree, £6m could be good value. His passing was very tidy, although his feet are not as quick as Makelele’s.

You forgot to mention that one of the main reasons Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko have not been noticed is due to the insular nature of the English Premier League and the English tabloid press. The Russian league does not get exposure in the British media and due to Sky’s money, EPL clubs no longer put effort into scouting less fashionable leagues, preferring to throw money at expensive flops such as Darren Bent or aging stars from La Liga or Serie A, such as Andriy Shevchenko and Deco. Proper scouting and an eye for talent can unearth some real gems.

A great example is the Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc, who Gordon Strachan, the Celtic manager, spotted, scouted and acquired for £650,000. He's now being quoted at £12m plus. There are some real quality players at clubs like Zenit St. Petersburg, Spartak Moscow and Shakhtar Donetsk for those willing to look. Matt

MS: The English league is the most cosmopolitan in the world, with scouting networks so sophisticated promising teenagers, not just established stars, are picked off at clubs across several continents, much to their understandable frustration.

How can you accuse a league in which just under 70 per cent of the players are foreign of insularity; if anything it is the open door policy of the Premier League that is one of its greatest controversies. And what have the English media got to do with anything? When do we buy players? Darren Bent’s scoring record at Charlton Athletic suggested he would do well at a bigger club such as Tottenham Hotspur, and Deco has not even reported for training at Chelsea yet, so cannot be dismissed so irrationally. Let him play a game first, maybe.

As for Artur Boruc, where did Strachan spot him? In the Polish national side, presumably, because he had already won seven caps by the time he signed for Celtic. Not exactly rocket science that one, then. And not quite the same as Arsene Wenger getting Kolo Toure. Congratulations for revealing that there are quality players at Zenit St Petersburg. What tipped you off, the Uefa Cup win? Finally, Shakhtar Donetsk are not in the Russian league: they are Ukrainian. Apart from that, a well thought out argument.

Comments

[Marty Price]

For Tom....to say that anyonje is going to make Fabregas "look like a clown" if he gets a manager like Wenger is just a "doofus" statement. The Turk is good but Cesc stands on his own at 20 years old. His future is bright precisely because he has Wenger and he obviously not only learns from his manager but those he plays with. he will star for Arsenal and Spain for years to come. I wish the Gunners could get Turan too. Because all of the things that Tom likes about him are qualities that Fabregas has. So you can praise Turan without actually tearing down Cesc!

[chisty]

The russian players are not good enough. They were just fit in the EUROS.

[Tom Campbell]

Chris...are you a complete cretin? You mentioned four players there, and not the obvious 3 that came to mind. All 4 that you did name however appear to have had distinguished international recognition before their big premier league moves, thus supporting the argument by MS. However I do agree with Matt in some quarters about the unknown quantities out there, and this shouldn't be ridiculed by MS with a useless statistic "league in which just under 70 per cent of the players are foreign of insularity". It would be interesting Martin to see of that 70% how many of these players are of mediocre standards from the more well-known countries such as France, Spain and African Nations. Matt simply was pointing out the pool of talent in the Eastern European countries that has led to CSKA and Zenit winning major european trophies in 2005 and 2008 respectively

[Sam]

Arda Turan is going to be something big. His current world class performance, modesty and sportsmanship is exemplary (if you've been watching his career for the past 1-2 years).

This is the silence before the storm. When that kid finds a manager like Wenger, he's going to make Cesc look like a clown.

[Pat]

It's unfair to rate a player solely on the basis of one international tournament. Think about it. Would anyone who didn't watch the Premier League think England had any good players if they were judged only on their performances in the last World Cup?

[RAI]

I completely agree with the last comment by Billy.

I was quite taken aback by the patronising tone you used in response to Matt's potentially ill-thought out comment.

Even in your average Friday night pub conversation it's rare that people are as condescending, pompous and downright nasty as that.

It makes you sound like a bit of a bully. Apart from that, you're a good sports writer.

[billy]

No need for the slam on Matt.
You are a professional journalist but I am sure you have made mistakes or had opinions that could later be ripped apart. You also have the writing skills to present a different view in a less condescending way.

I enjoy some of your columns but I'm glad I will never have to meet you. Reply don't reply, I don't care. You have ink by the barrel and well you know how that saying goes.

[Ollie]

Chelsea most definitely do not need a holding player. Mikel is the heir apparent to Makelele. He actually ousted Makelele from the role in Mourinho's last full season.
Funny how you do not claim players are too young when they play for Man Utd or Arsenal. And Chelsea are constantly lambasted for buying over the hill players. A bit of consistency and objectivity is in order here.

[Callum]

mr samuel, why does it matter who played well at euro 2008? the premiership post-2002 was littered with players who impressed at the world cup and failed in the league (most of the senegal team being the prime example). arshavin was blinding for a season in the strongest uefa cup in recent memory. it was foolish of you to dismiss matt's comments about the premier league so arrogantly. there are some excellent players in eastern europe who weren't spotted by premier league clubs. and also, your earlier disagreement about akinfeev being a top-class keeper. have you ever seen cska in the champions league? easily one of the top 6 or 7 keepers around. doesn't make as many mistakes as the likes of petr cech or jose reina for instance.

[Henry]

You guys are only talking about spain. yeap they won, its cool. But those who say David Villa was fantasic to me NO. He easily gets frustred.
How many share my view that Holland had the worst defence. Look at the way they way they were dismanttled by Russia.

[Henry]

Senna to me should have been the player of the tourmanent. But when it comes to english football and I dont think he can fit.It might be another broken Ferrari.Deco lets wait and see. Comming to Abromovich, the Idea of him dictating which players to buy will win him no trophies.

[Pallav Purkayastha]

Hey leave Toni or Gomez, lets talk of Serie A strikers like Di natalie, Del Piero and others who coudnt score. So would you criticize the Serie A defenders which still has Buffon and Chiellini and Gamberini? Not fair to say that Gomez I am sure wll still bang goals for clubs but I pray not like the EPL stars who play like Spartans for club and then flop like charlatans for country. Capello has a tough job ahead of him!

[Amar]

I completely agree with Rod who said you can't just judge a player on their performance in the Euros. Luca Toni has scored ALOT of goals over the past five years (thats including in Serie A & Internaionals). I don;t think a poor Euros means hes no good, same goes for other such players.

[Nik]

Phil

The reason Barry cannot buy out his contract is that the regulation clause that allows this relates to moves to clubs in a different nation. So moving from AV to Liv using the clause isnt possible.

On the topic, with Carrick, Hargreaves and Nani all being recent midfield moves costing in the £16-18m bracket, is it any surprise that AV are holding out for at least that much given Barry is keeping the 2 englishmen out of the national team on merit?

There you go...

[Phil]

Can you explain why if Giuterrez can buy out the remainder of his contract to join Newcastle as reported today then why can Barry not do the same to join Liverpool?

[Carl]

Matt, Martin Skrtel. No one knew who he was when Liverpool bought him but he's been doing quite well after his initial horror show against Havant.

[luke]

In fairness Martin the English league and English press are pretty insular when it comes to football, you've mentioned it yourself with the assumption Fabregas should be starting for Spain because he shines in the Premier League.

And then there's the self styled title of 'best league in the world'...

[Alex Stamp]

Senna would fit perfectly into that Chelsea team, he has the control, the passing and the positioning to only add to that team. Regarding Silva, I would have thought he would fit into Wenger's style of play, though in light of recent comments about Arshavin and Modric, he's not going for small players, also bearing in mind the article you published yesterday. Agree with the point on Bundesliga, think Toni was really shown up, and though Ribery showed flashes, I think the step up from the Bundesliga meant he couldn't impose himself on the matches the way France needed him to. I think the most sought after player, would have been someone like Pavlyuchenko, a good finisher, thought he had a strong build and some good movement, he scored more than some of the more feted players like Toni, Torres etc. I personally thought if Chelsea were on the look out for a new striker, he'd be high on there lists-he couldn't be any worse than Pizarro. What are your thoughts?

[Chris]

Matt, You mentioned the Russian League in the second paragraph of your inaccurate rant, and the word tabloid is intact. "Lesser" leagues don't get on telly because no-one watches them. Even Serie A is lost in cable channel hell nowadays. And the idea of the EPL being insular is the funniest thing I have read in years and I will struggle to sleep tonight if I don't blot it from my mind.
Oh, and Nemanja Vidic (Spartak Moscow), Niko Kranjcar (Hadjuk Split), Jiri Jarosik (CSKA Moscow), and Mart Poom (FC Wil, Flora Talinn) are just three very obvious imports from such lesser leagues who play/have recently played in the Premiership. As MS himself says, those points aside, you make a strong case.

[xelo]

when Cristiano have to appear he doesnt do it what do you thnik?

[xelo]

do you think that casillas is a good candidate to win the golden ball?

[Matt]

It's difficult to think of players in the EPL which have been scouted and procured for small fees from less fashionable leagues (i.e. Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic) who regularly play in the first team of EPL clubs. In regard to the media (my comment used the term "tabloid media", but this seems to have been amended), I was referring to the lack of knowledge and coverage given to lesser European leagues, not the signing of players.

Regarding Boruc, you may be correct and Strachan scouted him playing for Poland and might just have a eye for a player? Or perhaps a guy called Ray Clarke spotted him whilst scouting in Poland for a striker? Who knows?

I can't see where I mentioned Shakhtar being Russian. I'd like to think I'd know what league they play in since I've been to see them play in the CL.