Hannover join hunt for German Messi

Hey, remember when people used to used to call Marko Marin the 'German Messi' without giggling? Summer 2012 was fun times, and perhaps a valuable lesson not to take pre-season form too seriously when you evaluate players.

Anyway, it's been clear since about six months after we signed him that Marin wasn't going to be doing much at Chelsea, and the only questions remaining about his Stamford Bridge career are exactly how and when it ends. We've been aware of interest from Turkish club Besiktas -- Demba Ba's new home -- for some time, and now according to the Mail Bundesliga club Hannover have joined the fray.

Although I'd imagine Marin might like to go back to Germany, he's not likely to get much say here. He's not really in a position to dictate terms, and whichever club bids more for him will end up with him. That Hannover are getting involved can only be good for Chelsea, although if there's a bidding war for Marin it would likely be a very sad one.