Why United’s transfer plans shouldn’t be influenced by others
Wading through the thousands of transfer rumours surrounding potential United targets only one thing becomes clear amidst all the uncertainty.
If United are to add to the squad with a ‘big name midfielder’ then it seems Sir Alex is going to have to pay at least 200k a week to tempt the likes of Wesley Sneijder or Samir Nasri to Old Trafford.
In the case of Nasri, certain media outlets are reporting that the French midfielder is now leaning towards a move to the Easyjet Stadium after being tempted by the ‘astronomical wages on offer’ believed to be around the 250k a week mark.
While I’d welcome Nasri at Old Trafford, if he wants to earn a million pounds a month then I think he’d be better off plying his trade for Stockport’s finest. The Frenchman’s a talented player with a proven Premiership pedigree but I thought the whole point of United’s pursuit was that with only a year left on his contract he’d be available at a reasonable price.
Should United match City’s figure then paying around £12 million a year- say over three years -plus £20 million in transfer fees means a player that was considered a bargain would end up costing over £50 million. Now I’m no accountant but even if United do have that sort of money to spend surely it would be better served elsewhere.
Investing in a couple of less proven players for half the money may be a better bet than spending the cost of the entire 1999 team on one player which seems about as wise as buying a long haired chav for £35 million.
City can offer silly money because they’ve got it and seem to have a buy now think later policy when it comes to certain players. I don’t even think they need Nasri and wouldn’t be surprised if they did get him, and he ended up on the bench, but they can afford to be so wasteful while United cannot.
When it comes to Sneijder, it’s almost as though we’d be doing what City do in terms of spending a lot of money on a player who wouldn’t necessarily get in the first team if everyone was fully fit. That may sound somewhat ridiculous but if as was the case at the end of last season, Wayne Rooney drops into an almost attacking midfield role, then Sneijder may not be as indispensable as some believe- certainly not vital enough to warrant a £30 million plus transfer fee, then around £9 million a year in wages.
The latest reports suggest Sneijder, like Nasri is hoping his transfer could lead to mega money wages, although the Dutchman has Malaga not the World’s Richest Club TM as his other suitors so may find it difficult to convince United to pay him the astronomical type wages on offer at City.
The Alexis Sanchez saga- which is becoming almost as tiresome as the Nasri one, seems to have died down somewhat although there’s still enough United transfer rumour embers aglow to keep the smoke going.
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The Chilean at one point seemed destined for the Nou Camp and will more than likely still end up there although some reports seem to indicate a deal with United is still possible.
Sanchez almost certainly won’t be hopping on a free flight to The Jet2.com stadium any time soon after Roberto Mancini revealed the winger had turned down a move to City.
There’s no doubt that City told him the wages they were willing to pay to make him part of their ‘project’ whether he’d expect the same terms at United is debatable but it wouldn’t surprise me if he demanded them.
Sanchez is an awesome talent but is it really worth spending vast amounts to acquire a player we may not even really need? I’d argue not. With all the wingers available at United, plus Rooney’s ability to play ‘in the hole’ pursuing Sanchez may be a frivolous endeavour.
It’s obvious there is room for improvement at United, no matter how strong the squad is another top quality player could only elevate it, however any new signings should be made without breaking the club’s wage structure or handing out Rooney type terms.
Part of the problem may be the seeming lack of truly world class players available, which can make breaking the bank for one who is one the market, seem all that more acceptable.
People tend to forget that United have since the Premier League began, never been the richest club and have lost out on certain players because of that.
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In the early years it was Blackburn Rovers who were able to offer the sort of wages United weren’t hence their acquisition of Alan Shearer. Although they won the title in 1995, they were never able to successfully maintain a challenge to United’s dominance, partly due to the fact that certain players would rather have earned less playing at Old Trafford each week.
More recently it was Chelsea who had bottomless pockets and were able to convince the likes of Arjen Robben and Jon Obi Mikel that the sun shone brighter in West London than it did in Manchester.
Chelsea may have had success but four titles in five years plus three Champions League finals, tells you which club’s remained the dominant force in English football.
The point I’m making is that United don’t need to try and equal any of the top spender’s wages in pursuit of players, we never have done. Should Sneijder, Nasri or whoever feel they’re worth more than they can get at Old Trafford, I’d be happy to see them sign for City or anyone else for that matter.
Read more of Justin’s articles at Red Flag Flying High