While winning their 20th Premier League title should make Alex Ferguson happy for a few more days, he’s got more goals on his mind – more championships, but more importantly is success in the Champions League which has eluded him over the last couple of seasons. In order to rectify the situation, players like Falcao, Robert Lewandowski, James Rodriguez and Ezequiel Garay are all on the shortlist for the 2013-2014 season.
Despite the scoring of Robin van Persie, there is a feeling that United need more world class firepower in order to succeed with the big boys, not to mention a better quality of midfield players and in the back, even if Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic remain at the club.
There also those who won’t be staying. At this point in time, it’s hard to believe Nani and Anderson, who came along together six year ago, will be remaining with the team, failing to prove their worth despite plenty of chances to do so over the last couple of seasons. They might be used to try and sign players from Portugal, but might also be sold to an Eastern European club (Anzhi? Zenit?), willing to pay quite a lot of money for neglected “stars” from big clubs.
There’s also Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez to think about, but Ferguson keeps saying Chicharito isn’t going anywhere unless some offer he couldn’t refuse (double the price they paid for him?) comes along, while Wayne Rooney always seems to be on some transfer bubble. Maybe making him a midfielder will solve Ferguson’s overload of forwards and the need to switch players around, but who knows if Rooney will go along with such a change to his game.
The midfield should be United’s biggest need, but they aren’t attached to any quality names from around Europe. For now, all we’re hearing is about centre backs, forwards and James Rodriguez, the Colombian winger/attacking midfielder who has been starring for Porto for quite some time. Benfica are another club with players that interest United – Nico Gaitan, who plays a similar role to the one Rodriguez fills for Porto, and Ezequiel Garay, the Argentine Centre back, doing a very good job for Benfica since joining from Real Madrid in 2011.
As always, strikers make the most noise. Falcao would be a real shocker because of the price he commands – way more than anything United have ever played for a player, or anyone else in the UK has as well. United were blasted out of the water by the offer made for Lucas Moura by PSG last season, so it’s hard to believe they’ll be able to compete with Real Madrid and the French champions (soon enough) if they’ll also be after the player.
Robert Lewandowski, if Dortmund are headed towards a huge sale, starting with Gotze leaving the team to Bayern Munich, might be just as good as Falcao and Cavain, but at a much cheaper price. The Polish striker doesn’t want to negotiate a new contract with his club, which means that he should be finding a new team to play for this summer. No one but United has been mentioned regarding his name, but surprises aren’t a new thing to the world of football transfers.
Don’t be surprised if Isco from Malaga also comes up in discussions in the near future, with his team probably not making the Champions League at the current rate, and headed towards more financial trouble if rumors are correct. Both United and Arsenal were interested in the player last summer.
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