Early signs of movement as World Cup shop window starts to prove its value

Before the World Cup began, West Ham co-owner David Sullivan commented, “World Cups change lives. It’s the global shop window and who knows what may happen. We could get amazing offers – offers you can’t refuse”. Sullivan was speaking at the time about Robert Green, so in that respect he probably shouldn’t be waiting too expectantly for the phone to ring. However, the point remains valid and there will be plenty of players who will benefit from a strong tournament by securing a move to a better club.

With the end of the competition now in sight, thoughts will inevitably be turning back to domestic season for players and fans. For club managers however, the plotting will have begun weeks ago and there can’t be many in the upper echelons of the European leagues who won’t have been watching the World Cup with a view to unearthing a gem for next season. It is not just the lesser know players who can enhance their credentials either, with plenty of more established stars given a platform to prove the hefty price tag hanging over them may be worth it.

Such an example is readily evident in the form of Wesley Sneijder. Sir Alex Ferguson may already have been readying a bid for the Dutchman after his treble-winning season with Inter Milan, but the influential role he has played for the Netherlands in helping them reach the World Cup final is unlikely to have harmed his chances of a move, although he has now indicated he has no intention of leaving Inter. The downside for the suitor of course, is the inevitable increase in bid required to lure their target, with a figure of €35 million now being quoted for Sneijder’s services.

Elsewhere, the name of Mesut Ozil is not one which would have been particularly familiar to those not following the Bundesliga prior to the World Cup. However, the German midfield playmaker has proved to be a revelation, and Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allos appears to be readying himself for bids in recognising “there has definitely been increasing interest”. Whilst Werder are determined to keep Ozil to reach the Champions League group stages, a significant offer from one of the many clubs apparently interested in his services is likely to prove difficult to turn down.

One player already on the move is Danish defender Simon Kjaer who highlighted his potential in South Africa, despite Denmark’s early exit. He is joining Wolfsburg from Palermo after reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur. Harry Redknapp also confessed an interest in taking Diego Forlan, the star of the Uruguayan show, to White Hart Lane before Forlan declared his desire to stay at Atletico Madrid. Of the other Premier League clubs, Sunderland and West Ham are rumoured to have Rennes striker Asamoah Gyan on their shopping list, perhaps an unlikely target had Gyan not played such a key role in taking Ghana to the quarter-finals.

On the flip side of this, a bad tournament does not appear to have been detrimental to certain players’ chance of a move. Fernando Torres, who was dropped by Spain for last night’s semi-final, is still coveted by Chelsea, whilst Arsene Wenger appears keen to bring Mark Schwarzer to the Emirates to solve his goalkeeping problem, in spite of his less than perfect tournament in goal for Australia. We are also led to believe that Shaun Wright-Phillips’ fairly disastrous cameos for England have not dissuaded either Spurs or Liverpool from securing his signature.

Of course, much of the speculation currently doing the rounds will remain just that and there is no guarantee of a player’s willingness to move or a club’s willingness to sell. However, there is no doubting that the World Cup will prove to be a catalyst to transfer activity ahead of the new season and a number of the tournament’s star performers could find themselves playing for a different club by the time the European transfer window slams shut on 31^st August.