The speculations began as soon as Ji-sung Park left for QPR . The Daily Mail reported the story, and some reports suggest Sir Alex has sent a delegation headed by Chief Scout Lawlor to finalize a deal for one of the hottest prospects of the game. Soon after the papers began the reports, the rumor mill set running various falsified links to United, and much more.
Such is the extravaganza of the transfer window, indeed a shopping spree for some. There are 2 sides to a coin, and any transfer deal is based this same principle. Let’s look at both sides separately -
The United side:
According to me , his addition is a gamble worth taking, with his powerful potential. He is the flair that the Red Devils are missing; strength, quick feet and serious talent. He also has 15 international caps, and has played for Brazil youth teams. But, as he is a Right attacking midfielder, United will have to employ a 4-2-3-1 formation to grant Kagawa his favoured role of playing in the hole. Else, to play both Kagawa and Moura, United will have to scrap the wingers system and play 4-2-1-3; a fairly unlikely happening under Fergie’s reign, because the counter attack drives the way united play. If playing 4-2-3-1 was the plan, we already have Rooney, Kagawa, Young, Nani, Valencia clashing for 3 spots, with Giggs and Welbeck capable of stepping in.
Another aspect could be playing 4-3-2-1 more regularly, playing him on the left (as he’s two-footed), and Kagawa in the centre as Valencia surely won’t be moved from right. That raises the speculation of Nani departure.
Last but not the least, the tactic could be playing 4-4-2, and converting Lucas into a winger, which spoils the entire purpose of the transfer because the Red Devils have sufficient ammo on the wings.
The other side:
The claim is baseless, as of now. The news report din’t guarantee that Moura would join United, and no one was quoted from Old Trafford saying the same. Some reports claim he is the replacement for Park. The attacking midfielder surely ripped apart the Scottish team in a friendly, and is a mind blowing lad, but is that what United really need at the moment? And it’s rare that a South American comes directly to UK rather than going to Italy/Spain to adapt in suitable conditions.
Chelsea supposedly had a 32m bid rejected, and in my opinion, United spending more money is a distant possibility. It’s a risky gamble in the end considering our Brazilian recruits Anderson, Rafael and Fabio. Also considering that we have made smart buys this season, with a combined 21m spent on signing Kagawa and Powell, I see the chances of Moura being signed as very bleak. If we were outbid for Hazard , why spend so much on someone who hasn’t proved anything, and whose stats don’t even match up to Kagawa’s? I think Modric, Sneijder, and Moutinho are better players to pay beefy amounts to, to recede United’s midfield crisis.
Lucas Moura looks like an incredibly skillful player but 30m on completely unproven talent is madness. Spending that amount can get us Javi Martinez. But as far as my knowledge of football goes, South Americans have rarely worked well at Manchester United, for different reasons. Kleberson, Heinze, Forlan, and Tevez didn’t work out to the levels that were expected. But certainly the Da Silva twins have a bright future at United. Sadly, Anderson has been an underachieving symbol.
No comments:
Post a Comment