da betsson： When I was a young whippersnapper supporting any team who happened to be at the top of the Premier League table, I never thought I’d live to see the day a footballer was worth £100million. But before making even a quarter of a century without succumbing to fatal demise, I find myself almost regurgitating my morning Vimto over a copy of The Telegraph, claiming Manchester United intend to spend that exact figure on Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale this summer.
da dobrowin： It seems illogical the European champions would demand a fee superior to the world-record-breaking sum they coughed up two summers ago for a player they apparently now want to get rid of. It seems improbable two separate institutions could spend £187million on the same person, for his ability to kick around a pig skin, in the space of two years.
For pretty much any other club in world football, I’d advise their money be better spent elsewhere, spread more evenly across a diverse array of transfer targets; but for a Manchester United team in desperate need of everything the 25 year-old offers, he might just be worth that ridiculous nine-figure fee.
Bale has always struck me as a Manchester United player, a winger-forward of imperious pace, power, industry and netting prowess, with enough technical quality to rightfully succeed the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo on the Red Devils’ flanks. He would have thrived under the clinical counter-attacking football of scintillating velocity that defined United under Sir Alex Ferguson, and become the biggest benefactor of Paul Scholes’ driving through balls into the final third.
But now, the Red Devils need Bale’s eclectic mix of talents more than ever. They’re a few superstars short of a title-winning side and a penetrative threat that can be depended upon for goals has been absent from their forward line for much of the season – particularly since Angel Di Maria’s early superlative form turned surprisingly sour.
Wayne Rooney’s underappreciated pace is a running cliché and Ashley Young has performed considerably better than expected when called upon. But overall, United have been static up front this year – dependent more on the aerial dominance on Marouane Fellaini to punch holes going forward – and with the exception of Di Maria’s deft lob against Leicester City, we’re yet to see them roar up the pitch in the manner of old. In fact, they’ve scored just two counter-attacking goals this season – five less than the Premier League’s best in that regard, Manchester City.
Louis van Gaal’s attempted to take the team in a new direction this season – his much-discussed philosophy of ball retention juxtaposed by long, angled passes. But physically demanding counter-attacking is an integral part of the Premier League and there are few attackers in world football who suit that basketball-paced style better than the Welshman.
Not that Bale is all about the counter-attack, although his capacity to convert wide open spaces into goals was the catalyst for his £87million move to the Bernabeu, after netting 26 times during his coming-of-age campaign at Tottenham Hotspur. Since joining Real Madrid, he’s succumbed to La Liga demands by improving his ability in tight spaces, with deft flick-ons, nutmegs, tidy one-twos and reverse passes aplenty.
And more than counter-attacking itself, it’s the manner in which the winger has refined his abilities so perfectly for Premier League football – his athleticism, his ability to produce stunning technique whilst moving at incredible speed, his overall workrate and original tutoring as a defender – that would make him such a valuable asset for a United side seemingly moving away from English ideals.
But perhaps most importantly of all, Manchester United need a bold statement this summer – a declaration they’re a part of the European elite once again. It will take a lot to shake Chelsea’s confidence of retaining the title and Arsenal are rather chuffed with themselves amid a purple end to an otherwise ordinary 2014/15 campaign; but Bale is the kind of signing – and £100million is the type of transfer fee – that can psychologically shift the balance of power back into United’s favour.
Should a combination of the above events secure United’s first Premier League title since Ferguson’s resignation, then Real Madrid’s £100m man will be worth every penny. The longer they go without the English crown in the legendary Scot’s absence, the harder it will become.