Scouting Report – Liverpool Target Eljero Elia

According to reports, he is supposedly a target of Liverpool during the summer, but who is Eljero Elia? He is a young Dutch left winger currently plying his trade with German Bundesliga side Hamburg. He started his career at a small Dutch club ADO Den Haag and made his debut for the side at the age of 17. He made 59 appearances for the club before falling out with coach Lex Schoenmaker. Many of the top clubs in Holland including Ajax and PSV were interested in the player but Elia opted for FC Twente due to the greater prospect of first team football. He had appeared to be on the verge of a move to Ajax, but quickly turned against the idea after discovering he was to be loaned back to his former side Den Haag, who had been relegated.

Times were much happier at Twente when he moved from Den Haag in the summer of 2007 at the age of 20. He excelled in the freedom he was given on the left hand-side of their midfield, he scored 11 goals in his 64 appearances at the club, and picked up the Dutch Football Talent of the Year at the end of last season, effectively a young player of the year award which has been handed out to the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie in past seasons. Such accolades meant a big move was not long behind.

Last summer, Elia completed an £8.5million move to Bundesliga side Hamburg. The German club are no strangers to taking on Dutch recruits: in recent seasons they have bought the likes of Rafael van der Vaart, Nigel de Jong, Joris Mathijsen, Romeo Castelen and now Elia. A move to Germany was recommended to Elia by Holland manager Bert van Marwijk, Elia stated:

“He told me HSV was ideal for me. Also in relation to my chances in Oranje [Holland]. Van Marwijk knows the German competition well and thinks highly of it.”

Elia has been with the Netherlands U21 side since  2006, but van Marwijk has watched him closely and gave him his full senior debut against Japan in a friendly back in August. He provided two assists in a 3-0 victory, impressing the manager greatly. He believes he is close to becoming a permanent fixture in the national team:

“I’m getting close to the core of Oranje. My debut tells me that. But I don’t count on anything. So you can’t be disappointed. My goal is to stay with Oranje.”

Surinam born Elia didn’t always feel such fondness for his adopted homeland however, his first memory of Holland was watching them play Brazil at the 1994 World Cup at the age of 7, he remembers supporting Brazil along with his entire family. He has ambitions to play at the highest level though and has a great desire to play an important role at the World Cup. A cause only helped during his second appearance for the national side as he scored the only goal during a 1-0 win against Scotland in September destroying any lingering hopes the Scots had of qualifying for the World Cup.

The move to Hamburg last summer was a big step for Elia for a number of reasons, not least due to the fact his girlfriend Sanne give birth to his daughter Sael. Elia said of the move and the birth:

“I think that’s quite something. In the weeks before the delivery, I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t know yet where I’d play and all that. HSV would be the new club and they welcomed in a truly tremendous fashion.”

Thankfully for Elia, the chaotic nature of his move to Germany has not affected his form on the pitch, he scored two in his first two appearances for the Hanseaten and was given two man of the match awards in his first four matches. He has also struck up friendships off the pitch with fellow Dutchman Romeo Castelen and fellow midfielder and idol Ze Roberto who has taken him under his wing as a mentor. Still young and raw, Elia has learned to be more defensive minded during his first season in Germany, being more of a left midfielder than a left winger, breaking quickly from his own penalty box to the opposition’s half in fast flowing counter attacks. Such speed, skill and eye for goal has led to rumours of yet another move. Scouts from Liverpool have said to have been at Hamburg games in recent months. According to his agent Klauss Vink:

“There are a few English clubs sniffing around, but he has only recently moved to Germany and is happy at Hamburg and playing very well. . . . It is true when he does decide to move he would prefer his next move to be to English football, to a top club. . . There is big interest from Liverpool, but there are no concrete offers, just rumours.”

The big stumbling block for any move for Elia by Liverpool however would be the price and he has only just moved to Hamburg with a contract that expires in 2014. The young Dutch winger is however a bright star of the future  and would be an interesting signing if Rafa Benitez opts to buy him in the summer.