The silly season they say. It is as if the collective media doth protest too much. Silly is the faces pulled at an infant, or Shinji Kagwa’s karaoke routine at the end-of-season party. Silly is perhaps even the media’s reaction to José Mourinho’s slaying of the truth this week – how Rant chuckled. All very silly.
But when it comes to transfer speculation, at this time of year, in these times, silly is surely a malapropism. Downright stupid more like; an insult to football’s collective intelligence.
Take, for example, Manchester United’s apparent chase for Cristiano Ronaldo, the £80 million former Red now residing quite comfortably at Real Madrid. Silly. Just silly.
True, Ronaldo’s ‘people’ have sounded out his former employers – and United has considered a potential deal, bolstered by the apparent millions pouring in from every corner of the sponsorship globe. True, the Portuguese winger is yet to sign a new contract at the Bernabéu. Mind you, he also has two years left on the deal, with a €1 billion release clause studiously inserted into the deal four years ago.
Indeed, the road from here to Ronaldo’s Old Trafford return, especially in Sir Alex Ferguson’s absence, is fraught with more speedbumps than downward slopes. Not least United’s willingness, or otherwise, to fund an extravagant deal for a player who turns 29 next season.
But forget the fee for a moment – a sum that would approach if not pass that garnered by United in 2009 and concentrate on Ronaldo’s wages, which currently exceed £12 million per season. That’s netto, between you and Ruud Gullit, for a player just 19 months younger than Robin van Persie.
Over the course of a five-year contract United’s outlay might exceed £150 million, leaving the bean-counters to wonder just how many shirts the Megastore must sell, at pennies per additional nylon kit hawked under the current terms of Nike’s contract. You do the math, as our north American cousins love to say.
Then, of course, there is Real’s reluctance to part with a player who has scored at greater than a goal-a-game over nearly 200 fixtures for Los Merengues. Silly. Ridiculously silly, but Real’s antipathy to change is unsurprising given Barcelona’s recent dominance. After all, La Liga was lost to the Catalans by 15 points last season and Barça has already secured the outrageously talented Brazillian forward Neymar for next season’s campaign.
Yet, Ronaldo is not alone in the cavalcade of stars apparently on their way to Old Trafford. Make of that what you will. Take, for a start, Gareth Bale at £60 million. Add Marouanne Fellaini (£23 million), Thiago Alcantara(£18 million), Leighton Baines (£16 million), Ezikiel Garay (£16 million), Kevin Strootman (£12 million), and Dong Fangzhou (£5 million) to the list and United might need to file another IPO. At least one of those tales is completely fabricated.
The litany of newsprint is a Championship Manager fans’ wet dream – and not even nearly credible given David Moyes’ likely warchest this summer. After all, headline budgets and the Glazer family have always been an ephemeral relationship. No Rant can’t remember United spending £100 million after Wayne Rooney’s 2010 ‘October Revolution’ either.
Elsewhere, Barça kicked-off the transfer round robin by shelling out more than £55 million for Neymar. Newly enriched Monaco spent a similar sum on Colombian forward Radamel Falcao, while Manchester City lavished nearly £30 million on Brazilian reserve midfielder Fernandinho – a player who wasn’t close to making the Seleção for the Confederations Cup – and perennially homesick winger Jesus Navas.
One of Paris Saint Germain, Chelsea or City will happily part with more than £50 million for Edison Cavani. And don’t even look at Isco without depositing something far north of the GDP of a small South American banana republic.
Even heavily indebted West Ham United spent somewhere near £15 million to bring hard-drinking Andy Carroll to London on a permanent basis.
Silly money from silly boys with their football toys.
But there are bargains to be had this summer, with United likely to take a face-value loss on several players, including Nani, Anderson and Bébé. That’s £45 million worth of talent now likely to command less than half the sum no matter how foolish the owners that take the trio off United’s hands.
Rooney – now on to his second transfer request – might command more than £20 million, but it is a sum nowhere near what might have been for a player who once aspired to be the world’s best. Getting through 90 minutes without puffing is the new goal. Or at least it should be.
Far cheaper is CSKA Moscow’s Japanese playmaker Keisuke Honda who is available on a free transfer next winter, but unlikely to tax the budget of even the smallest Premier League outfit – not with next season’s bottom team taking home more than £60 million in revenue from TV rights.
Honda holds rank over Kagawa in the national team, often pushing the United man out to the left, although neither impressed in Japan’s 3-0 loss to Brazil in Saturday’s Confederations Cup opener.
Elsewhere free agents Andrei Arshavin, Yossi Benayoun, Chris Brunt, Florent Malouda, Carlton Cole, Mark Schwarzer, David Bentley and even Roque Santa Cruz will attract some attention, although surely not at Old Trafford.
While any deal for Ronaldo is still a long-shot, despite the speculation-fuelled short odds offered by some bookmakers in recent weeks, United will spend something this summer. Moyes’ apparent identification of the Reds’ major weakspot – central midfield – is a blessing at least. He could hardly fail to spot the problem given how Everton have dominated the area in recent matches against United.
The solution to that particular problem seems unlikely to be either, or both, of the Barça pair Cesc Fabregas and the aforementioned Alcantara. Many Reds hope that it is not Fellaini either given Everton’s propensity to play football of the agricultural kind last season the Belgian in the side.
All of which leads to the conclusion that despite press reports Moyes is still unlikely to spend silly money come silly season. Whatever the club’s new-found financial stability, albeit with £350 million of debt still loaded onto the books, this is still a business owned and run by the Glazer family.
Now that’s silly.
Good piece as normal on United Rant.
Ed you are just too logical and ‘ think’ the possible transfers through, with the implications for both the selling and purchasing clubs involved. Also the other likely suitors watching developments unfold with agents, football managers, and the infamous Daily Press ( Sun and Mail ) particularly playing to a receptive audience, on what might be in transfer speculation!
As normal there are, very little in the way of hard facts, basically conjecture and this silly guessing game. I often think to enable the tome that originated with whatever story on a player moving to United to be able to say; we told you so.
The Cristiano Ronaldo transfer was whetting the appetite of fantasists, the whole chemistry of this long – drawn out saga was immediately altered ( as if it was truly ever on ) when Sir Alex left the club.
Not least as is highlighted the financial costs to United, and what he brings to the club at his age.
I often think, do these Journalists actually watch United, prior to imagining, X Y or Z player transferring to the club, and see what fans see, where the teams weaknesses are and need strengthened in.
United as we know have a current profiling of a likely player purchase, one that in my view along with many Reds is not this marquee signing, that tantalise the football manager type fan.
Ed Woodward as you know and I hate to repeat and bang the same drum, said the club is in great shape and only one or two minor tweaks to the team will be made.
Having already got Zaha and Varela on-board it follows that possibly there will be a further one or two further signings. Off the radar of most scribes or bloggers thoughts, as United do. To avoid this crazy auction scenario, that often prevails, and United will walk away from, when this develops.
Where these nutty figures of a few weeks ago £150 million, now £60 million transfer war chest come from, Christ only knows.
To display what I mean about the stupidity of blogging and creating a sensation, as we see today as an example Alcantra from Barcelona, this story will run for a few days and allow copy – writers to repeat and rerun this possible transfer, smothering good articles that are researched and have depth to them and are analysed properly. With arguments for and against.
A few weeks ago published around 1.00pm on Newsnow, Swiss Ramble ran his article on United’s current finances, it never got of the ground, yet it was fascinating and as normal for the financial blogger truly in-depth, to the current state of play at United.
My point most blogs play to the masses, for hits and to satisfy fans that United will be signing numerous high – profile players.
History however tells us differently.
With Moyes at the helm of the good ship United, and his background at Everton of prudency and scouring Europe for players with potential unknown to the majority of supporters.Is there any reason to suggest he will destroy this principle and go down the route of buying high profile players now, with an improved, albeit we don’t know what it is, transfer fighting fund.
All good fun I suppose and fascinating who copies what and repeats it. The comments below some of these articles on United’s ‘ likely ‘ transfers fascinate me personally. I suggest have a look at the Transfer Tavern today, not knocking the blogger who wrote the article ( a few minutes to write it I guess ) a basic repeat of the Daily Mails stupid piece on Rio’s suggestion ( as if he decides transfer policy ) that United should sign Cesc Fabregas and Robert Lewandowski, give me strength.
I know what Rio was implying, about joining the club and the likelihood of improving at United, but in essence he is playing to an audience, with his name – dropping.
He clearly has not followed the reports out of Barcelona or indeed Borrussia Dortmund recently. Not for sale ! Is that difficult to understand?
There is so much wrong with these two players signing for United, it beggars belief that anyone can possibly trust they would. I have written comments on 101 Great Goals as to why not. However I sometimes think along with many United supporters I’m pissing in the wind, trying to be realistic in United’s ambitions and plans for this summer. Like anybody else I don’t want to be a kill – joy in our aims in new additions to the team, but realism and the clubs history in who and the type of player we buy, will not be scrapped over – night.
David Moyes has a big job on his hands no doubt, but I’m quite sure he will assess every player currently at the club in a balanced and fair way, without knee – jerk reactions induced by the media hyperbole.
As ever we shall wait and see, a fun summer with no doubt more ‘ flavours’ of the hour – day – week on the menu of United’s diet of summer transfers.
Ps if you want to read a balanced article on the Cristiano Ronaldo, as you possibly have, read Ian Herberts in the Independent last night. That’s a football article, by a proper journalist.
Cheers Keep it real; Keep it United.
Dong Fangzhou, coming back? For £5m? Why?
Would utd fans honestly give a shite if it was anyone else but city spending mental money journeymen Brazilians and the like…its the same shit different summer….
Fantastic article Ed, “I think Ronnie is coming back home” nevertheless.
I won’t be surprised if we have already done our business in Zaha and Varela. The united i know always conduct its business early before the auctioning and hawking start except on few occassions. Those waiting for the so called big signings may be in for a shock.
It all sounds so sensible: let’s not spend any silly money , if no player who fits appears at the right price then let’s offload the misfits we have and make do with what we have.
And forget about the European Championship and the League as well — because whilst some of the silly big money players will be failures, it will just take one who is a spectacular success to make a strong team a world-beater and an also-ran into a contender. We won’t be able to transform in such a way: do no qualitative difference in the team to look forward to.
RedScot – I guess we are agreeing. I don’t see United changing the policy at all. The focus will be on younger, largely cheaper players in the search for value. As we now know Robin van Persie was a goodbye gift to Sir Alex – probably a one off. I could be wrong but as you say that goes against recent history.The challenge for United though is whether Ferguson’s genius can be replicated. The club has lost geniuses before – Cantona, Keane, etc – and replaced them not with like for like but through the collective. It’s a little different with the manager. If Moyes’ raw ingredients are no better than Ferguson’s then should we expect results to be as good? Probably not…
Ed – One of Fergie’s problems of late had been that for the most part he refused to sign quality players approaching their prime years (23-25), instead opting for players who were young and relatively unproven (but not necessarily cheap). Those you list in your article being cases in point. When he did buy in this age ranage, it was generally mediocre players of the Valencia & Young variety, and very occasionally the outlier finished article, e.g. RvP. As a result, Moyes has inherited a squad with a real dearth of quality in the prime 25-30 age range…Just look at the squad and there is a gaping hole in terms of names you’d immediately put in the starting level in this age group. To my mind, this has been poor squad development and leaves Moyes having to take some serious gambles (blooding youngsters Fergie has ignored, or making key signings) and risk 2-3 years downtime getting the squad more balanced.
Ok, and Berbatove 30M, Carrick and Hargreaves (Wee Wes, Xavi and Lucas if they had come). Goodbye gifts as well? Think United has to change to some degree. Sure, we are aways off from spending 50M on anyone save Ronaldo. Oh wait, Bale would be up there. Think you have to parse the argument out just a bit more. United will offer high, but not over the odds, for what it sees it needs. DeGea for 18M (for a 19yo keeper) in line with that reasoning as well.
Top dollar as well.
Hi boss.
Firstly sorry, I looked back ‘ several ‘ times to see if anybody wanted to challenge what I had posted, I saw no responses so I moved on, apologies there – fore for the delay.
We were in agreement, just my little dig in a facetious way about you be being too balanced in your thinking over ‘ likely or highly – unlikely signings ‘ I read between the lines in your article you were being tongue in cheek, and tinged with sarcasm of the bilge we are fed by various scribes on the new players we are due to sign.
I accept under Sir Alex he has pulled rabbits out of the hat before to address weakness’s that were key to the clubs progress, as you mention Eric Cantona and obviously Roy Keane as simple examples.
I’m just not so confident ( not a criticism ) that David Moyes will be up to speed to delve into the transfer market with this marquee signing that many believe we will add to the team.
The one player that will turn us from always contenders for the Premier League title to always contenders for the Champions League trophy.
I still believe what he has done so far with changes at the club in backroom personnel and impressing his blueprint on the club, plus the saga of Wayne Rooney and how he navigates this predicament will set the scene for his first season.
Get off to a bad start in the league campaign, ( screw up the Rooney contract and getting him focused ) Moyes has provided unwittingly the ammunition for the media to savage him, as they will happily do, as we know from our history.
He Moyes in many ways does not have the pedigree of Sir Alex, not least in being a trophy winner, to stick two fingers up to the scribes who will hunt him down, and simply say ‘ look at my record’. I deserve respect and time to do the job.
I saw one little comment which I that was pertinent, it went something like this ” While Moyes is swanning around America, Chelsea and City are strengthening, if this is how he views the biggest job in world football, it does not augur well “.
There is several sides to that comment of course, but I felt it was pertinent in a few ways regards the era we are in, uncertainty.
Which is new for United!
Again sorry for the late reply, I can be a bit dozy 🙂
Ps waiting with baited breathe for the next rumour that manifests itself in some back – water journal on a likely United signing. Regurgitated into the mainstream UK press and re – worked numerous times by the copy – writers.
All good fun and as you said at the top of the article ‘ The silly season. ‘
Message to self. Always proof read comments, prior to posting! ‘Which I That’ = Thought, as an example. 🙂
The logic has crushed me. So full of hope only moments ago, I will now revert to my standard refrain during transfer windows of: “we won’t buy any of these cunts”.
OK. So now we know that we have to bite the bullet: there will be great football and inspiring victories in the years to come, but not from us. Mediocrity United, 100% genius free.
Well, we just bought Alcantara for 23 million. Story has been on the BBC news all day. Now if we can rap up this deal with Strootman, our midfield will be in good shape!
Herbie – Always good for some fun. 1) No we haven’t, 2) no it hasn’t
One of my favourite rant moments was Herbie calling everyone on this forum a pack of cunts for rubbishing him over some transfer claims. Would love a repeat from this WUM extraordinare.
Yes. Ronaldo hinted he will join Man United if the club meets the wages demand in the next summer transfer season . However, $17 million a year seems higher for the 30-year winger