Big business: Man United need to flex their financial muscle
Breaking news: Manchester United have denied interest in Tom, Dick and Harry.
They have privately confirmed the three are not on Louis van Gaal’s wish list, along with Toni Kroos, Arjen Robben and Miranda – the Brazilian centre-half, not the acclaimed comic actress.
Agents around the globe will be hawking players to a club that is widely reported to have £200million to burn on recruitment.
Bogus links will be used as leverage to get clients better deals or to encourage bids from other clubs. Ed Woodward’s head will be spinning.
This will be a watershed summer for Woodward and his role as the man who effectively runs one of the world’s biggest clubs.
Delivering targets such as Luke Shaw should be a cinch.
But if Woodward really is prepared to sanction a fee close to £30m, then it is a concerning omen.
Shaw has undoubted promise and physical maturity but still has a lot of developing to do both on and off the field.
Cinch: Youngster Luke Shaw would be a major asset for United
Blowing a decent-sized hole in the budget for a teenage left-back seems an unnecessary gamble. And it is hardly a statement signing.
Shaw is certainly a very exciting prospect and he might well turn out to be world class in a few years’ time. That is when he would be worth £30m.
It will probably have to wait until after the World Cup but Van Gaal and Woodward need to make that statement signing. Or at least be seen to be flexing their muscles at the end of the market populated by established international superstars rather than promising kids.United pleasantly surprised supporters with Juan Mata – they need to pull off another one or two of those.
And there is nothing wrong with unsettling rivals by flexing financial muscle – by bidding like men. Here’s a left-field suggestion for Woodward. Put £75m on the table for Luis Suarez.
Would it have a chance of being accepted?
Probably not a cat in hell’s.
Do United need another attacker?
They look decently equipped in that department, but Suarez is probably the third best player in the world right now. That’s the level United should be targeting.
Can they offer him the Champions League football he craved and has been provided with by Liverpool? No.
Not next season, anyway.
They can, though, offer him £300,000 a week and Luis loves a new contract or three.
Never underestimate the power of hard cash versus the allure of the Champions League.
Of course, the idea that United could somehow get Suarez to Old Trafford verges on the completely preposterous.
But it would rile Liverpool and remind the world that United feel they still have the power and attraction to prise the elite away from even the grandest institutions.
Prising boys away from Southampton has never been a problem. Landing the big boys is the real job in hand for Woodward.
Source: Mirror Sport
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