Archief - Voetbaltransferthread 2011-2012 Binnenland - Deel 2 (geen roddels!)

After numerous tries during the day, eventually Pasion de Multitudes managed to get hold of him, just whenwe thought we were not going to be able to reach him Matias Suarez answered the phone.

He sounded very tired; he arrived in Turkey to Anderlecht winter camp on Friday, after 24 hours flight from Buenos Aires, and has been training since Saturday.

He has not done so at full speed with the rest of his team mates, but it sounded clear that he was not fully recovered from that odyssey.

However he was ready to talk, and very friendly, answering every question and not hiding behind the usual “no comment” we are used to hear from clubs, agents and players when a transfer is discussed.



He told us that he was very happy at Anderlecht, that the club has been magnificent with him since his arrival, but it was time to prove himself at the highest level.

To prove his loyalty to the club and to finish the job he and his team mates started in 2011, he will stay until the end of the season.

However, he also confirmed to us that he has signed a not so “secret” pre contract with Arsenal for the summer.

He has also had discussions with Galatasaray, And Marseille, but money was never his main incentive. He, in fact said, that if money was an issue the Galatasaray offer was much better than the gunners’ one.

This pre contract favours Arsenal in many ways.

A) They have secured a player that they wanted

B) The gunners have the right to not take up the contract if the player either gets injured or has a dip in form to an unsatisfactory level

C) There are no clauses or rights for Anderlecht and the player to change their minds. So for example if Matias has an even better second half to the season, they can not ask for more money or higher salary or sell him to another club.

D) Plenty of time to apply for a work permit, however they are confident to get one through a panel.

A panel for a work permit application is called in the following cases. “Where an application does not meet the published criteria, a club may request a panel to consider the player's skills and experience. In these cases the sports and entertainments team, UK Border Agency, will refer the club's evidence to an independent panel.

Where possible the club's supporting evidence will be sent to the governing bodies in advance for their consideration in order to allow an informed decision.

The panel will normally consist of representatives from the relevant football governing bodies together with up to three independent experts.

The panel's terms of reference are:

To consider whether the player is of the highest calibre.

To consider whether the player is able to contribute significantly to the development of the game at the top level in United Kingdom.

The panel will make a recommendation to the UK Border Agency whose decision will then be relayed to the club.

E) Gives Arsenal full use of the player who would have been cup tied for European competition.

He said he is really looking forward to coming to London, but he must concentrate on delivering for the club that has given him the opportunity to be where he is today.

The deal will not be officially announced until later on in the season, as there are still a few bits and pieces that need to be ironed out.

Arsenal wanted him to move during the January transfer window, but will be happy to have reached a compromise that sees them securing a player they have admired and watched many times last year.