Earlier this week, I published a piece discussing the pitfalls of Major League Soccer teams turning towards ageing European stars.
Through the prism of the links suggesting Mesut Ozil could be set for a move Stateside, I discussed the attitude-related problems that some teams encounter when they invest heavily in near-retirement stars that, while possessing tremendous quality, sometimes lack application.
In Ozil’s case, as Arsenal can testify, ever since he signed a bumper new near $500,000-per-week contract, his production, performance levels and work rate all plummeted. After being excellent for six months, as soon as he was handed money, he grew distracted.