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Today Chelsea officially announced their agreement to sign versatile midfielder/winger Marko Marin from Werder Bremen (rumored price around eight million Euros). Agreements announced before the transfer window and especially on a Saturday are always going to grab headlines, especially when it involves a player like Marin who was once regarded as one of the top prospects in the world.

So what kind of player is Marko? Here are 5 things to know about Mr. Marin…

1. They call him the “German Messi” for a reason – No, not because he scores 50 goals a season or misses crucial penalty kicks, but because he is only 1cm taller than Messi at 170cm (5’7″), which is actually the exact same height as Juan Mata. However, height is not the only reason why they call him this, which leads into the next thing to know…
2. He is a world-class dribbler – Ramires leads Chelsea this season with 41 successful take-ons of defenders in the Premier League, not even half as many as Victor Moses (89) who leads the league in this category. Marin will definitely be one player Chelsea can play in an attacking position who won’t be afraid to challenge defenders (he has 45 in only 16 starts this season and even has a section of his website devoted to dribbling).
3. Injuries have taken their toll on Marin recently – The reason why Marin has only started 16 games for Werder Bremen this season isn’t because he lacks talent (believe me, Bremen need all the talent they can get) but because he has been sidelined SIX times this season with injuries. It’s a huge factor why Marin only has 1 goal and 5 assists this season for Bremen and why one needs to look at his entire time with Bremen to paint a clearer picture of his potential.
4. Just because Marin goes down doesn’t mean he’s hurt – Marin has developed quite a reputation in the Bundesliga as being a diver, so much so that the dubious Goal.com even went as far as to rank diving as his best attribute. I know it’s sad that diving is becoming a “skill” some players have but I hope Marin is able to learn a thing or two from Chelsea players like Michael Essien and leave the diving to Ashley Young and Alexis Sanchez.
5. The best bring out the best in Marin – The German has impressed with the national team and was brought to the 2010 World Cup despite being only 21 years old. Marin was coming off his debut (and still his best) season at Bremen before the tournament (6 goals, 14 assists), playing with Mesut Ozil and helping Bremen to a third place finish. After Ozil left for Real Madrid and was not adequately replaced Marin sometimes tried to do too much at times, which resulted in some selfish tendencies. Hopefully at a club like Chelsea he’ll revert back to playing his game and trusting the abilities of his teammates.

While I think the Marin signing is a step in the right direction and helps to address my concerns over Malouda’s abilities it’s likely Marin will be more of a spot player out left (the club will probably pursue other options here) and cover for Juan Mata (who has started 44 games this season) in a central creative role. Given his age and abilities at eight million Euros if he can stay healthy Chelsea may have scored themselves a great deal.