Wesley Sneijder raised a large number of eyebrows when he agreed a move to Galatasaray back in January 2013.
Whilst he was embroiled in a contract dispute with Inter Milan, it’s difficult to understand why a top player would move to Turkey. Why would a player who has made 52 appearances for Real Madrid and 76 for Inter Milan choose to move to a League where there’s no real competition?
At various stages throughout his career, Sneijder has been heralded as one of the best midfielders in the world. When it comes to pure technical ability, there are very few players who can match him.
He’s an extremely graceful presence on the ball – someone who’s capable of earning himself time and space through his quick feet and neat change of pace. Once he’s got that space, he’s then got the vision (and ability) to pick out a killer pass and change a game.
Whilst he’s been a little wasteful during The World Cup, it’s also worth noting that he’s a good finisher. In 42 appearances for Galatasaray last year, he found the back of the net 17 times. That return is not to be sniffed at.
Sneijder’s decision to move to Turkey was also surprising given how strongly he was linked to Manchester United at the time. As it happens, those links have begun to reappear in recent times.
The Mirror recently ran an article that suggested Sneijder’s still a target for The Red Devils. The source even carries quotes from Gala president Unal Aysal, who reveals an interesting detail about Sneijder’s contractual situation:
“Sneijder is a good player. We want to keep him at Galatasaray. If Galatasaray receive an offer of €20million, we do not have the luxury of saying no. That is stipulated in the contract.”
“All I can say is that if any club pays us €20million and he wants to go, we can’t force him to stay because it is written in the contract.”
In other words, if Manchester United are ready to cough up £16m, they could be about to get their hands on this long-term transfer target.
With that in mind, maybe it’s time for The Red Devils to bring Sneijder back to the big time. He’s clearly good enough to play in the Premier League and I’m sure he’d help to improve this ailing Manchester United side. Let’s hope that Louis Van Gaal feels the same way.
What’s your take? Should Manchester United finally snap up this long-term transfer target?
Please follow @ThePerfectPass for more football related action!
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.