Interest is mounting in one of the rising stars of Argentinian football and for once he is not a small creative attacker or midfielder. The player in question is Velez Sarsfield centre-half Nicolas Hernan Otamendi. The 21-year-old’s impact in the Clausura Championship has been such that the likes of Real Madrid have been named as interested suitors and the player himself has broken into Diego Maradona’s international set-up.

Otamendi only made his Velez debut in May 2008 as a late substitute in a 2-1 home win v Rosario Central. However, it was the 2009 Apertura Championship where the youngster proved his worth. He made a total on 17 league appearances (all starts) as Velez finished as champions, two points clear of Huracan. Unsurprisingly the Velez defence had an outstanding record with Otamendi in the side conceding just 13 goals in 19 league games.

Of the 17 matches he started in the Clausura Championship, the team kept 9 clean-sheets. These statistics and the dominant nature of Otamendi’s performances have led to his quick rise from youth team player to highly-rated International.

The player’s disciplinary record is also very good after just three bookings in his short career. The 5 ft 10 central defender was called up by Maradona for a friendly match with Panama in May which was made up from home-based Argentinian players which was won 3-1. Otamendi played the full 90 minutes and such was his performance that he again played the full 90 minutes of the 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat in Ecuador in June.

Due to Otamendi’s lack of height and playing style he has been likened to the former Valencia legendary defender Roberto Ayala. It’s of no surprise that a number of Serie A clubs have already begun to track the player including Inter, AC Milan and Lazio. However, the Premier League is also full of clubs looking for a solid centre-half who’d suit Arsenal, Man City, Spurs or Aston Villa. Unlike some South American youngsters who are catapulted to fame, Otamendi seems to be very level-headed. He still lives in his humble family home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires and takes a bus to training every day.

The player’s main attributes include his physical strength which is conditioned from his love for boxing. Like Ayala and Fabio Cannavaro, the Argentine reads the game well and uses his speed to anticipate opposition moves. He is renowned for his excellent tackling ability and has become the star of the Velez team in a short time. His manager Ricardo Gareca was glowing in his tribute to him, “He plays like a veteran. In centre-backs, cases like this are very rare.”

The Velez Football Director Christian Bassedas also praised him, “You watch him on the pitch and he gives you the idea that will eat up the opponent striker in every ball.”

Clubs may have to move quickly as big spenders Real Madrid have shown a strong interest although they yet to bid, “I wish it would have been like the papers say, but Real have not offered €20million for Otamendi,” said Velez president Fernando Raffaini.
“It’s true that I had a meeting with (Real director) Jorge Valdano, we spoke about many things, but he didn’t make an offer at any point.

“We had a conversation and he said that Otamendi could be a good player for Real Madrid, but all we spoke about was thinking about the future.

“Velez intends to have the player in their team for at least another year.”

Whether Velez get their wish remains to be seen as the big European clubs prepare to bid for the next big Argentinian defensive star.

Would you like your club to sign Nicolas Otamendi? Do you think he would be a good acquisition for your club? Let’s hear your views.