Everybody Wants Them Some Huntelaar & Mario Gomez

By: chris | April 3rd, 2008

We’re hitting that part of the season where transfer rumors go from “ah, we’ll see in six months” to “oh, maybe we should be thinking about these a little”. Two of the best young names hitting the marker hard right about now are Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Mario Gomez. Tall, technically gifted and extraordinarily prolific young strikers playing for what would have to be considered, right now at least, second tier teams. They’re too good not to play for tier one teams some day, and that day may be soon.

Huntelaar does, in a slight contrast to Stuttgart (despite being last year’s Bundesliga champions), have the chance of playing for a tier one team while staying at his current club – despite their current place, and not having won a Eredivisie title since 03-04 (long time, I know). But it’s not all that long ago they were a certifiable powerhouse on the continental scene and with both resources and a young, perhaps up-and-coming, coach coming in next year, who knows. Klaas himself is saying his departure isn’t certain, so it’s surely a possibility. (Maybe even assisting matters is the announcement today of a massive sponsor ship deal for Ajax.)

If he does feel like trying the grass on the other side, Bernd Schuster and Real Madrid will be waiting with open arms – along with pretty much every other club in the now kinda sorta maybe defunct G14 & Friends. Schuster in particular has been taking his KJH Viagra, saying:

“The boy is similar to both Van Nistelrooy and Van Basten. He is so similar. It is almost like they have cloned him in a laboratory. He has things about him that are from both players.”

No mistaking his feelings, is there? Now just get out your checkbook (Real Madrid’s is quite large) and start the auction.

Then there’s Mario Gomez, beloved by Stuttgart, females (especially females who support Stuttgart) and, much like Huntelaar, the biggest of big names in Europe. His status has been only accentuated by his amazing start for the German national team, scoring six in his first 9 games. He won the German player of the year last season and in the process helped lead his team to a Bundesliga title, despite missing some time through injury. At 22, his CV is positively bustling, and there’s nothing to indicate it won’t be overflowing even before he hits his prime.

The suits at Stuttgart have figured all of this out (magically, I guess) and have decided to slap a €50m pricetag on his head over the summer. They won’t get that, but it makes the starting point for negotiations becomes mighty interesting (”we’ll give you €15m”….”nope, €50″….”€18m?”….”we’ll compromise at €48m”).

I think most people (aside from the fans of teams grouped with Germany or the Netherlands) are looking forward to seeing both KJH and Gomez on one of the world’s bigger stages this summer at the Euros. There’s no guarantee either will start, but if their scoring rates for country are any indication, they’ll win some time eventually. And if that happens, well, their prices may very well skyrocket.

For now, just enjoy their exploits, and if you happen to be the fan of a giant, perhaps take a look into a glorious future.