Shkodran Mustafi

[Zedie]

Arghhhhhhhh. Who the f**k are these guys were linked to?

Watch more football

[Mike Dean]

Arghhhhhhhh. Who the f**k are these guys were linked to?

Seriously?

You dont know who Mustafi is?

He is not some superstar but he is someone I would expect a football fan to be familiar with at least by name.

[Gunpowder]

As long as they've got a good leap it doesn't matter

Mertesacker is a perfect example, about 10 ft tall but can only jump about 3 cm which makes him more vulnerable in the air than Kos is for example

Mertesacker has higher aerial duels won %. Koscielny has higher number of aerial duels won. Teams target Koscielny when playing long ball.

[CrimsonGunner11]

Maybe this was who Ozil was talking with when he was with the national team

MUSLIM CONTINGENT

[Gunpowder]

He is not homegrown is he? He was with Everton between May 2009 and January 2012. Damn you Everton for selling him early

[Mike Dean]

Maybe this was who Ozil was talking with when he was with the national team

MUSLIM CONTINGENT

lol...

Isnt Xhaka Muslim as well?

And if we get Wissam Ben Yadder, there is another one.

With all the muslims onboard, we would make a killer team!

[TOP]

Let's hope they don't implode before the end of the season

[Sims]

#MakeArsenalMuslim

[Cripps]

Bring him home

[Mike Dean]

I found this on quora. A good read on him written by someone who seems to have followed him well....

He’s currently 23 and has become a vital cog in the wheel of the Valencia backline, , alongside Nicolas Otamendi himself. He weighs 82 kilograms is a 184 centimetres tall. His physique is more than just imposing and the 23 year old is a good pick for tackling.

Mustafi is a product of the Hamburg youth setup but joined Everton back in 2009. After failing to make a single Premier League appearance for the Goodison Park based club, Mustafi moved to Sampdoria, where he made 50 appearances before sealing a move to the Mestalla last year. The fee was rumored to fall in the region of 8 million, but the official figures remained undisclosed.

Mustafi was a part of the German Under 17 side which clinched the Under 17 EURO’s back in 2009, and although, he couldn’t make it to the German side for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he came in as a replacement for the injured Marco Reus. Since then, Mustafi has emerged as a less than regular part of Joachim Loew’s side and has made 8 appearances too.

Mustafi is considered to be one of the most cultured centre halves in the La Liga, a bit like Espanyol’s Hector Moreno. Nuno Santos’ centre half pairing which consists of him and Nicolas Otamendi is a pairing which performs two roles, based on the abilities of both the players. While Otamendi is a fighting, hard tackling and highly tenacious defender, Mustafi is more cultured and conservative in his approach.

Instead of tackling hard and winning balls back with the help of a Ramos-esque combative abilities, Mustafi relies more on his positioning and reading of the game, which is commendable. He doesn’t have the pace and quick across the ground ability that both Otamendi and Ramos possess, but he has made a name for himself in the division with the help of his spot on interceptions and win backs. The German made 1.4 tackles per game and made 2.9 interceptions too.


The role of a sweeper suits him more than that of a centre half, to be entirely honest. He’s a composed character and is very good on the ball. He’s a ball playing centre half and plays 3.8 long balls per game, which is very good for any deep lying defender. Since he has plied his trade in England, he is adept in the physical side of the game and more so, the Italian game has taught him a lot, when it comes to defending tactically and reading the game impeccably. In times of need, Mustafi can slot in at right back and left back too.

Mustafi is also seen shouting out instructions to team mates, in order to put them into position and guide them as to where they must be.

United need a player at the back, who is authoritative and inculcates a lot of composure into the back line. The likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Tyler Blackett, Jonny Evans and Paddy Mcnair are too easy to harry up when the opposition is pressing high up the pitch. They were seen losing the ball where losing it is actually supposed to be a crime in football. Mustafi’s hard tackling, composed and tactical approach to defending would come in handy for any defender, let alone Manchester United.

​Real Madrid, Barcelona and ​Spurs are said to be keeping tabs on the former Sampdoria star. Real Madrid would look to sign the 23 year old if only they end up losing Sergio Ramos to United, and Spurs have already snapped up two centre halves in Kevin Wimmer and Toby Alderweireld. If United fail in their bids to sign either of Sergio Ramos or Nico Otamendi, shelling out cash for this German would be a favorable option too.

[Santi]

Sounds like a young Mertesacker

[Marsbar100]

Can't be worse than chambers.

[CrimsonGunner11]

Maybe this was who Ozil was talking with when he was with the national team

MUSLIM CONTINGENT

lol...

Isnt Xhaka Muslim as well?

And if we get Wissam Ben Yadder, there is another one.

With all the muslims onboard, we would make a killer team! :sneaky2:

Let's hope they don't implode before the end of the season

[Mike Dean]

Fair Value.

[Mike Dean]

Brace yourselves!

€8m Bid by Arsenal incoming.