‘Miser’ is a word which, is although used in a rather negative context these days, is referred to a people who hoard money for as long as they want to. Late Hetty Green or simply ‘Witch of the Wall Street’ was even inducted as a “World’s Greatest Miser” entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for her antics despite of being labelled as “the richest woman in America” during the Gilded Age. But, in football terms a club can barely survive provided they adhere to their ‘Misers’ tag. The prime example, of course in football terms, stands to be Manchester United or ‘A team which finished seventh last season’
Gone are those days when Sir Alex Ferguson relied on home grown talents more than anybody else to win titles. Clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona have taught the world how not to hoard cash and splash it, as it grew just like Lebanon’s birth rate. New manager Louis van Gaal has not shown any signs of reluctance to do the same and shatter the tag of ‘Misers’ that had been appended to the clubs owners. The Red Devils were in a dire need of a major overhaul, as sensed by experts and fans alike, which is on the cards after a flamboyant outing in the transfer window. Although the Old Trafford based club does lag a mile behind to Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool in the table but the business they’ve done may just give us a title race to savor.
United’s spending are a major reason as to why the total spending in England touched £835 million. The signings of prolific striker Radamel Falcao and versatile Dutchman Daley Blind took their spending to more than £150 million and here’s something even more shocking- Louis VG is just £ 71 million shy of Sir Alex’s total spending during his Premier League reign. The signings of Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Angel di Maria and the two mentioned above will surely aid them in their objectives this campaign. And of course, every Man United faithful has got reasons to feel like a Los Blancos fan after the deadline day.
Total Revenue Spent(IN)
Approx £ 157 million
Total Revenue Gained(OUTS)
Approx £ 31 million
Net Revenue
Approx £ 126 million
Are the players exactly what they needed?
Well, since the transfer window slammed shut there have speculations floating around that United could well have to change their formation. Moreover, Radamel Falcao’s entry has jeopardized Juan Mata’s starting role behind the two strikers, which could be donned on by none other than Wayne Rooney with Van Persie and Falcao upfront.
The 3-4-1-2 formation has come under scrutiny off late because of disappointing performances and the inability of the wing backs to cope up with the burden that falls onto their shoulders. The 3 man defense triumvirate has thus far, looked in tatters and has struggled to fit into this new tactic of Van Gaal’s. Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling have been miles away from impressive but it’s being said that the signings of Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind can help them cover this problem. But, what has been lacking at the back is the presence of an imposing central defender who is vocal and can act as someone the others can look upto. Both Rojo and Blind can play at centre back but are they the kind of players United need? Of course not!
The signing of a pure centre back could’ve been icing on the cake for Van Gaal but it seems United would’ve to make do with all these. Burnley’s loan signing of Michael Keane suggests that maybe Rojo and Blind will feature predominantly at Centre Back.
Angel di Maria and Ander Herrera are arguably United’s best signings of the summer, along with young Luke Shaw. Di Maria can play wide and in the middle for United but with Michael Carrick still injured, he may be forced to play in the central midfield alongside the Spaniard. Herrera will act as a vital cog in the wheel for van Gaal in his bid for a Top 4 finish, going by the midfield prowess and creativity he can add.
With Herrera and Di Maria in the midfield, United have the perfect pairing which can rip apart defenses in a blink of an eye. Di Maria will time to find his feet in a League as competitive and physical as the Premier League but he’s a top drawer signing for any club. He can play wide as well after Carrick recuperates and will provide much needed spark, speeed and creativity to the United squad. Luke Shaw is a lad for the future and the present, no doubt about that whatsoever. He can make a case for himself at left back or wing back and may succeed in gaining a starting spot.
Moving on to United’s shocking deadline day signing of Radamel Falcao now.
It did come as a surprise for the entire football world but he’s there- Radamel Falcao is a Manchester United player. One thing’s for sure, he will give you goals and considering the attacking riches United have in their ranks, Falcao can play a central role for the Reds. Provided, United decide where exactly their ‘riches’ fit in. Fitting the likes of Rooney, van Persie, Falcao and Di Maria can lead to Juan Mata’s sacrifice to the bench but there’s a strong possibility that maybe, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata may be rotated continuously by van Gaal.
Juan has never had the pace to feature wide and since arriving from Chelsea, he has struggled to find the spaces from where he can spray balls here and there. His lack of pace can lead to his sacrifice for Rooney but his incisiveness and killer passing abilities may also help him threaten Rooney’s No.10 role. Dislodging each other won’t be an option but something is not right with Rooney and Van Persie, or just with Van Persie. He still seems tired and exhausted and the on pitch link up hasn’t been satisfactory between these two. Bringing Falcao in beside Van Persie will help ease up the situation(not for Mata) and will bring more goals in there too. Remember, Rooney is 28 and has lost that burst of pace he had as a teenager and deploying him behind Robin and Radamel makes sense in a 3-4-2-1. Valencia is a first choice at right wing back followed by Januzaj, while Shaw would be good enough for left wing back.
The controversial back 3 would probably consist of Jones, Rojo and Blind or Evans with Di Maria and Herrera or Blind(or Carrick) in front of them, depending upon whether Herrera is fit or not.
It’s been a very good transfer window for United, in the attacking sense but there does lie a void at the back. Even Rojo and Blind can take time to settle and this can throw up a lot of problems. There is wee bit of problem up front as well but Van Gaal will find that problem rather palatable.
Transfer Window Outing Rating- 8.5
A team becomes a true team when it’s complete in all sectors of the game. And that’s not the case here. And as I said earlier, the signing of a pure centre back could’ve been icing on the cake for Van Gaal but it seems United would’ve to make do with all these
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