Keeping Up With The Khedira

Almost 2 months after being crowned a World Cup winner, Sami Khedira is still kicking his heels on the benches of a club he reportedly is not interested in representing any longer.

As odd as it may seem, the winner of the 20th World Cup in Brazil, and a conqueror of the fabled tenth Champions League title - something no team has ever done - is still plying his trade for the same team he has supposedly refused to re-sign for.

Whilst almost every member of that legendary German squad is being courted incessantly, the only one that does look like leaving his club has remained there. Despite reported interest from Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, the young central midfielder has shown no obvious signs of leaving Real Madrid. As is the norm in football, Sami Khedira’s decision hinges on several things:

1. His desire to leave Real Madrid

Having won everything at the club that Jose Mourinho signed him for, Sami Khedira has taken his Real Madrid career to its peak, and he is only 26. He has reportedly refused to sign a new contract, and his eyes probably lie elsewhere.

2. Real Madrid’s midfield

With the arrival of Toni Kroos, 5 players will now be fighting for 2 spots, as Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Xabi Alonso and Asier Illaramendi duke it out with Khedira for the two central midfield spots. Unfortunately, Khedira is arguably only better than Illaramendi in that list.

3. His playing style

As a fierce destroyer, Sami Khedira poses a problem to any side that would wish to sign him.

His passing may not be phenomenal, and he may of average pace, but he is a phenomenal destroyer. He keeps the opposition midfield from dominating possession in the middle of the park and offers an unselfish option to attackers as so clinically demonstrated against Brazil in the World Cup.

He is not a star player but a key element of any side, and this contradiction is what makes it so difficult to place him in your team; other players offer more speed and more goals, and other players pass better and defend in a more intelligent fashion. However, not many combine the qualities like him. He could, in the crudest of observations, be called a jack of all trades and master on none, and this poses a conundrum to many managers.

Rumours will continue to crop up until the Real Madrid man sign on the dotted line, because he is one of the world’s most famous midfielders.