Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra could put Premier League clubs on red alert as Jose Mourinho’s imminent arrival at the Bernabeu casts doubt over the out-of-favour player’s future at the club.
Diarra (commonly known as Lass) has found life difficult of late in La Liga and has suffered a huge disappointment as he is set to miss out on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa due to a genetic disorder. However, he would probably welcome a move back to the Premier League and there are many clubs who would do well to land such a midfielder.
Manchester United are one of the clubs that has been linked with Lass recently, which could be a great move for player and club. The fitness of Man United midfielder Owen Hargreaves is questionable and has unfortunately spent too much time on the treatment table, not on the pitch as he should be. Also, Sir Alex Ferguson could do with a bit more steel and youth in his midfield.
Tottenham are another club who have been linked with the player by the press. They are pretty stocked with midfielders as they already have the likes of Tom Huddlestone, Jermaine Jenas, Wilson Palacios, with Sandro on the way. But they are now in the Champions League and may look to add some more depth amongst their ranks.
If the rumours are true and the likes of Yossi Benayoun and Javier Mascherano are heading for the exit door then it may serve in Liverpool’s best interest to make an inquiry into the talented young midfielder Diarra.
It isn’t out of the question that current Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti could be interested in the player as he has reportedly been shopping for a defensive midfield player (Mascherano, Yaya Toure and Charles Kabor). This summer will see the departures of Chelsea’s Juliano Belletti and Deco, whilst Joe Cole and Michael Ballack’s futures hang in the balance, so Chelsea will look to bring in a new face or two. Also, many Blues fans are divided over the likes of Jon Obi Mikel and would like to see Micheal Essien, who is wasted in a defensive role, played further up the park. The Stamford Bridge faithful would probably welcome him back as they were somewhat surprised he was allowed to leave in the first place and he could be landed on a cut-price deal compared to other defensive midfielders.
More will be known about where the player is destined to end up will come in the following weeks and months, but it is unlikely that Mourinho will want to hold onto a player he didn’t deem good enough to start in the Premier League for Chelsea.
Mourinho was the man who initially introduced Lass to the Premier League when he bought the player to West London from Le Havre in the 2005.
Lass was often regarded as a natural successor to Claude Makelele as he not only plays the same position, he looks like him to0. Makelele a player who excelled so well in the anchoring midfield role it is often dubbed the ‘Makelele role.’ However, the 25-year-old midfielder did not play in his favoured position much whilst at the Stamford Bridge outfit and Mourinho deemed him surplus to the club’s requirements and sold him to Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal.
But his spell there was not successful either, it was at south-coast side Portsmouth he caught the eye of Real Madrid. Lass impressed at Fratton Park whilst he was there in the 2008-09 season and moved to Madrid for a fee believed to be around €20 million (£18.88 million).
After a good start at Los Blancos the Frenchman has fallen out of favour and the Special One’s arrival more than likely spells Lass’ departure.
Real Madrid are reportedly worried about the genetic illness that Lass suffers from, the one which has prevented him from going to South Africa. The player suffers from a hereditary condition known as sickle-cell anemia, which causes red blood sells to flatten and make them less efficient in getting oxygen around the body. Diarra has been suffering stomach pain and his omission from the World Cup has been described as a “big blow” for France.
We will have to wait and see what happens with Lass, but he could be a real bargain for a Premier League club if he could be attained for the right price.
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An amusing video of Lassana Diarra and his ex-team mates at Chelsea:
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