Things couldn’t be going much better for Manchester United. They’ve wrapped up the Premier League title with a few games to go, have built an impressive squad and seem to be destined for bigger and better things. The only thing missing in the mix: European success.
The Red Devils look set to dominate in the Premier League for years to come. After all, the belief seems to have drained out of Manchester City, Chelsea have to make do with massive changes each season and Arsenal… well, Arsenal are Arsenal.
But Champions League success has been harder to come by. The two Spanish sides have caused all kinds of trouble for United and the rise of the Bundesliga will likely complicate any future bids for European success.
This all points to the need to make a few smart signings, build a bigger squad and help United challenge on a few more fronts.
Of course, this tactic will only work if Sir Alex Ferguson makes the right additions. Which brings me to The Metro‘s claim that United are ‘lining up a deal’ for Juventus’ highly-regarded Claudio Marchisio in the summer transfer window. They go as far as to suggest that he’s now their top transfer target.
The Italian ace has a £20m price-tag and is one of the best midfielders in world football. He’s also a one-club man (apart from his time out on loan), with 203 appearances for Juve. It may be difficult to persuade him to leave the club he loves, but if anybody can do it, maybe Fergie can.
Manchester United are looking for a long-term replacement for Paul Scholes and in many ways, Marchisio is custom-built for this role.
He’s a hard-worker, who passes the ball about quickly and neatly, can run with the ball and isn’t afraid to take a shot. He’s a player in the mezzala build, but he’s also versatile, motivated and capable. He plays well alongside Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, who for the sake of convience, I will now compare to Michael Carrick and Shinji Kagawa. As such, if United pull off this deal, they’ll have an extremely competitive midfield on their hands.
He’d represent a massive step-up on the likes of Anderson and for just £20m, could be an excellent investment.
What’s your take? Would you like to see Marchisio at Old Trafford?
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