The 20-year-old has been a regular feature in Vitesse’s midfield over the past three seasons but really came for the fore during the last campaign when he made 41 appearances and scored 12 goals, eight of which were in the Eredivisie.
van Ginkel is deep laying midfielder who is known as a no-nonsense workhorse with exquisite control of the ball, above-average vision and an extensive range of passing. At 6’1″ he also holds a considerable presence although he will need to improve his strength if he is to live up to comparisons with Steven Gerrard and Yaya Toure.
Given Chelsea’s depth in the pivot with the likes of John Obi Mikel, Ramires, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and now David Liz getting into the action, van Ginkel will be a long-shot to earn a starting spot, let alone a cameo role. A loan deal within the Premier League could do wonders for his development but make no mistake about it, Mourinho believes in van Ginkel.
van Ginkel described himself as a box-to-box midfielder in a recent interview with Chelsea’s official TV station and spoke of his admiration for Frank Lampard, so naturally fans are already attempting to draw comparisons between the two but he’s probably more like a young Steven Gerrard or a hybrid between Lampard and Michael Essien if anything.
Chelsea certainly have an exciting prospect on there hands as Van Ginkel won the Johan Cruyff prize for Dutch Talent of the Year.
He’s a lot more natural than Lampard defensively and covers a lot more ground. The 35-year-old hasn’t really excelled during his career when it came to putting the tackles in but that didn’t matter in a system in which he was prolific in front of goal and had the likes of Claude Makelele, Michael Ballack, John Obi Mikel or Essien doing the dirty work for him.
It’s still far too early to tell whether or not he’ll be able to do half the work Lampard usually manages in terms of goals but the potential is there and Peter Bosz, Vitesse’s manager, has said that he believes he can emulate the England international in this regard.
Chelsea have often been labelled as a club that does not give young players a chance for much of Roman Abramovich’s reign at Stamford Bridge but this has been changing since Michael Emenalo became the technical director at the club and it’s evident in their transfer policy during that time. There is a lot of young talent on Chelsea’s books and the lads that aren’t in the squad are mostly going on loans where they’ve enjoyed regular football.
Last season Oscar was signed and apart from watching him feature for Brazil in the London 2012 Olympics many hadn’t seen him play and he definitely wasn’t a household name before Chelsea were linked with him. If he can be given a crack at the first team then so can van Ginkel, especially as the midfield became something of a problem area for them last season.
Chelsea certainly have an exciting prospect on there hands as van Ginkel won the Johan Cruyff prize for Dutch Talent of the Year joining the likes of Arjen Robben, Salomon Kalou, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Wesley Sneijder as previous winners.
van Ginkel is an exciting prospect. His performances for Vitesse Arnhem last term were a major reason why the club surprised many by finishing in the Eredivisie’s top four and taking a Europa League spot for 2012-13.
The Dutch league may not be among the continent’s most competitive, but it has a reputation for being the perfect breeding ground for the next generation of stars, whether they be Dutch or from outside Europe’s borders.
I expect van Ginkel to be a key player under Jose Mourinho for he coming years and possibly this season.
Here’s what some of Holland’s top football experts had to say on Marco van Ginkel. Michael Bell – MB, Siew Joe-Lee – SL and Sander IJtsma:
Chelsea aren’t exactly short of options in midfield, what does he give that they haven’t already got?
MB: Total football? Haha. From what I saw of Chelsea last season, they lack a tall, strong midfielder who can take control of the situation and link up with the likes of Juan Mata and Eden Hazard. This is what van Ginkel will bring into the fold.
SL: To be honest: nothing at all. Chelsea’s midfield is world class and in my opinion possesses every aspect of what a modern-day midfield should look like.
SI: The single word to answer this question would probably by dynamism. He’s an energetic guy, who is definitely one of the best midfielders of that type in his age group. In the coming years, Chelsea could mold him into several different roles, actually. If they allow him enough time to develop, MvG has the raw potential for further development, and it’s also a bit up to Chelsea now to decide what type of player they want out of him.
Where can you see him fitting into Chelsea’s set-up?
MB: Jose Mourinho clearly has faith in van Ginkel but I can see him getting eased into the first team gradually. I think he’s the perfect man to eventually replace Frank Lampard, he matches Lampard’s work rate and goal scoring threat and after a season of learning from the man himself, van Ginkel will be ready to take up the mantle.
SL: Chelsea legend Frank Lampard isn’t getting any younger and is approaching his retirement, so van Ginkel could potentially replace him in the long-term.
SI: He’ll be competing for the second defensive midfielder’s position. If Mourinho persists in a 4-2-3-1, he’ll feature beside a deep-lying playmaker, and prevent the team from falling apart into a defensive unit and offensive one. Also, his runs will see him support the striker and come in handy in quick counter attacks. In a 4-3-3 system, he’ll feature in a box-to-box role in one of the central midfielder roles, easing the pressure on the more creative central guy.
