Is Shinji Kagawa Worth £17 Million?

Bought from J-League side, Cerezo Osaka, Kagawa arrived in Dortmund with a goal scoring pedigree. In his 127 games for the Japanese team, he scored 57 goals for midfield, with a average of 0.45 goals per game. His debut season for Die Borrusens saw him help the club to the Bundesliga crown, breaking the dominace of Bayern Munich. He scored 12 goals in 28 games as the attacking quartet of Mario Gotze, Shinji Kagawa, Kuba and Lucas Barrios destroyed the league. His next season saw Shinji rise in importance as the club lost two key players - Nuri Sahin joined Real Madrid in a £8 million deal and Mario Gotze was ruled out for most of the season due to a hip injury. Kagawa stepped up to the plate and didn't disappoint as he led Dortmund to their second successive league title. It was now obvious that Kagawa wouldn't be spending 2012/13 with Die Borrusens. Sir Alex Ferguson picked him up for a fee reported around £17 million. Question is : Is He Worth It?

Goals


Shinji Kagawa scored 13 goals for Dortmund last season

Assists


Shinji Kagawa assisted his team mates 8 times last season

Key Passes


Shinji Kagawa made 55 key passes last term.

Successful Dribbles


Shinji Kagawa made 61 successful dribbles last season

Dispossessed


Shinji Kagawa was robbed of possession 67 times last season

Turnovers


Shinji Kagawa gave away possession 53 times last season

Tackles


Shinji Kagawa made 37 times last season

Interceptions


Shinji Kagawa made 17 interceptions last season

So, in conclusion

• Goal Scoring - 13 goals from midfield is an excellent number
• Assists - 8 assists in CAM is a respectable number
• Defensive contribution - His 1.2 tackles per game average is good enough
• Ball retention - Gives away possession way to easily, needs to improve that number

But, is he worth it? For £17 million, I would take him to my team. His creativity and imagination will give Manchester United a new edge to their game as they finally have a trequartista to fashion chances for his team mates and take some for himself.

NEXT UP : IS LUKAS PODOLSKI WORTH £11 MILLION?