While we’ve been hearing about various midfielders and other players Manchester United are interested in, their first order of business under their new manager is bringing over Marouane Fellaini from Everton, hoping to beat other teams also looking into the player.
Fellaini, 25, enjoyed the best season of his career in 2012-2013, scoring 11 league goals as he lead Everton to a sixth place finish, and drew too much attention while excelling for the club, mostly during the early parts of the season. Everton had a bit of a harder time later on, partially because Fellaini’s form fell of, some saying it was caused by his head getting spun by the offers from Chelsea and other clubs.
But while Chelsea looked like the closest party to get their claws on Fellaini, the arrival of David Moyes to Manchester United has reshuffled the cards and Fellaini now seems like he’ll be heading to Old Trafford instead of Stamford Bridge.
In the end, it’ll come down to who is willing to pay the release clause Everton have slapped on his contract, set at £24 million, or €28 million for other European clubs who might be interested, some suggesting that Zenit are seriously looking into purchasing the player.
United are also looking into Cesc Fabregas, but he won’t come at a cheaper rate, and his salary will be higher. Better player? That’s another question, but Fellaini seems to be the exact kind of player Manchester United need in the midfield to help them with their problems both in the Premier League and especially in the Champions League, where David Moyes will be a complete rookie next season.
Fellaini himself has also yet to appear in the Champions League, but it’s not like he’s going to be asked to lead the team. Manchester United is not Everton, where Fellaini was the star last season, but it also means he’ll have a lot more eyes from all over the world on him, and some of his “dirty plays” won’t be breezed over like they were while playing for Everton, not to mention he doesn’t have the Alex Ferguson anti-suspension umbrella to defend him anymore.