What defines value? A simple noun that has become a pseudonym for the Glazer era at Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson’s protestation over the past two summers – since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure to Real Madrid in 2009 – centred on the word. Value, said the Scot, was absent from the transfer market. Value, he insisted, is the United way. Forget the six occasions on which United had broken the British transfer record; value was now the sole moniker with which the Reds approached the market.
Supporters cried foul of course. Value has always had that ephemeral quality. Here in Javier Hernández, Mesut Özil, Rafael van der Vaart – Sneijder himself – Nurin Sahin and many others. Gone, some might say, in a half-a-dozen ringers brought to Eastlands, and Fernando Torres acquired so expensively by Chelsea. Add Andy Carroll, Bébé and £18.5 million Stuart Downing to that list.
What then to make of United’s apparent £35 million offer for Wesley Sneijder, the brilliant Dutchman employed by Internazionale. He is, after all, a player who led Inter to a famous treble 12 months ago and Holland to the World Cup final. For the quality Sneijder possesses the Dutchman is, arguably, cheap at the price.
Yet there is something unsettling too, exciting though the potential transfer is. Why, if Sneijder is the player so admired by Ferguson, did United not acquire the 27-year-old when he left Real Madrid just two years ago? Hungrier, younger, more dynamic in 2009; one wonders whether Sneijder is the same player after a relatively mediocre season with Inter over the past year. This question is especially pertinent given Inter paid around £20 million less for the player.
Of course, Ferguson retained Paul Scholes in his squad over the past two years. Yet, the now retired Scholes has not started 30 Premier League games for the Scot in six years.
Ferguson did not mention Sneijder in a remarkably open press conference in Boston last night but the heavy recognition of United’s requirement for quality laced the Scot’s comments. In the midst of a youth-driven evolution of United’s squad, value, it seems may be cast aside.
“We try to look ahead, we try to make sure we have an influx of young players coming through to replace the older players,” said Ferguson.
“We’ve been well aware of the need to replace Ryan Giggs. And with Gary Neville , Paul Scholes and Edwin van der Sar leaving, we were well aware that we were going to have to replace them at some point.
“So the work we’ve done in the last few years has been centred around that. The big problem, of course, is how do you replace somebody like Paul Scholes? It’s very, very difficult. If you bracket four of the best midfield players in the world, Scholes would be there along with Xavi and Iniesta.
“How will we overcome it? Maybe the next few weeks will help us in that respect. As they often do at Manchester United, maybe somebody will emerge out of the youth team or one of the young players emerges. It would be impossible to get another Paul Scholes, but if we can get a player along similar lines in terms of the quality of his passing and vision, then yes we’d have to do something.”
If that fourth player in Ferguson’s quartet of midfield quality is indeed Sneijder the acquisition will transform United’s midfield. The party now touring the United States includes just Anderson and Michael Carrick as recognised central midfielders, with Ryan Giggs and Tom Cleverley providing potential support.
Yet the economics are truly eye-watering on any deal to bring Sneijder to Old Trafford; a point fans might do well to remember until the Dutchman is sitting beside a beaming David Gill, signature pen in hand. The £35 million transfer fee will be augmented by a salary not less than £200,000 per week, or £10.4 million per year.
Even if United knock Sneijder down to those wages it will represent a significant pay cut for the player and a total investment of more than £80 million over a five-year contract with the club. With Sneijder 32 at the contract’s end, and therefore commanding little resale fee, one wonders where the deal sits in Ferguson’s characterisation of value.
Indeed, United’s decision to pursue multiple targets this summer is unlikely to have ended, despite Ferguson’s apparent admission that Samir Nasri has slipped through the Scot’s fingers. Label it ‘mind games’ perhaps, but Ferguson’s assertion that Arsene Wenger is “brave” to make Nasri wait out the final year on the Frenchman’s contract is more than a little cheeky.
“I don’t think he’s coming to United. That’s all I can tell you. I think he’s agreed to go somewhere else,” added the Scot.
“Maybe he has to stay at Arsenal, also. That’s a possibility. That’s a decision [Wenger] has made. If he stands by that decision it’s a brave one. I’m not sure the Arsenal directors will enjoy that one, but it’s possible.”
United had remained confident of luring the Frenchman to Old Trafford up to and beyond faxing a £20 million bid to Arsenal three weeks ago. This for a player available for nothing in 12 months time. Some reports even suggested that the club is countenancing acquiring both Sneijder and Nasri this summer.
It’s a proposition that brings the question right back to the issue of value and what it means.
Sneijder on the cards as the ‘V’ word comes into focus
(41 posts) (14 voices)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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Alfonso Bedoya
Moderator
The story is making the rounds in Wednesday papers Sid...
Still not definitive yet... but encouaging.
I have to agree Ed... "IF" we do actually get Sneijder, he'll go down as another one of those... "why the fuck didn't we just do this in the first place" scenarios?
I can only assume that Ferguson felt Scholes had more to give and therefore... let's wait and see if Morrison/Cleverly or another cheaper option might make a big money signing unnecessary.
"Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don't need badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching' tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you."Posted 1 year ago # -
Pikey McScum
Member
captainhormone said:
this is not read dread...this clearly a bitter wind up merchantI know one bad-ass, dreadlocked muthafucka who gonna open up a ten gallon drum of whoop ass on y'all!!!
Get him J...hard
"Sometimes you look in a field and you see a cow and you think it's a better cow than the one you've got in your own field. It's a fact. Right? And it never really works out that way."Posted 1 year ago # -
fat maradona
Member
Just seen on SSN that Gill is in talks with Sneidjer and his camp.
I'm with SKW on this one. And another thing that niggles me is the question of whether he wants to join us because he wants to play for us or because he wants the extra dough. If he does have the ambition of playing in a United shirt, why then did he turn us down 2 years ago and decide to join Inter?
It's a lot of money to pay for a 'knee jerk reaction'. Sure, we need a world class creative midfielder but do we really want to sign a player that is only considering the move because of the extra money on offer?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Cap – no it’s “Red Dead” not “Red Dread” !
Editor & Moderator at http://www.unitedrant.co.ukPosted 1 year ago # -
shauno
Member
Posted by unregistered user: shaunoI still don’t think WS is enough to change the dynamic of the midfield. We would still require another CM. If we sign him and he gets injured we are in the same position but £200000 a week worse off. Another robust midfielder required.
Posted 1 year ago # -
triggs
Member
Ed - how sure are you about those wage figures, because I've read somewhere that he dosent get paid - purely in wages terms - nearly as much as is reported. Maybe it's a pre/post tax thing.
What possible similarity is there between Sneijder and Veron other than they're midfielders who have played in Italy and cost a lot? They're completely different players as are the respective United squads from 2001 and 2011.
All I can say is, if Carroll costs £35M and the 2010-11 verson of Torres costs £50M then, £35M for Sneijder IS value (purely in tranfer fees).
One thing that the article dosen't highlight is the savings United have made in wages this summer - VDS, GNev, Wes, O'Shea, Hargo and Scholes all big earners will not be on the payroll next year, which creates scope for a big earner that United would not normally countenance.
Posted 1 year ago # -
fazal
Member Posted by unregistered user: fazalGood point in the article. UTD could’ve gone for Sneider, Van der Vart, Nasri, Modric a few seasons back and Dufour or Hazard now but Fergie has been stubbornly reluctant to take the slightest risk on midfield players. Yet he seems willing to splash out of unproven wingers that we don’t even need – and not on the cheap either! It’s a big failings on the big man’s part!
I somehow think the Nasri deal is done and Fergie is simply playing mind games again. Sneider is simply too expensive to make sense. He went to Inter with a point to prove having warmed Real’s bench for a long time…he’s got nothing to prove now so will he perform?Posted 1 year ago # -
sheesh
Member
fat maradona said:
Just seen on SSN that Gill is in talks with Sneidjer and his camp.I'm with SKW on this one. And another thing that niggles me is the question of whether he wants to join us because he wants to play for us or because he wants the extra dough. If he does have the ambition of playing in a United shirt, why then did he turn us down 2 years ago and decide to join Inter?
It's a lot of money to pay for a 'knee jerk reaction'. Sure, we need a world class creative midfielder but do we really want to sign a player that is only considering the move because of the extra money on offer?
We were never after him. Could have had him as a makeweight in the ronaldo deal but we took just cash to sell the player. Amazes me how our manager can be such a genius when it comes to signing defenders. He knows when a defender is past it and will do something about in the transfer market before it becomes a problem. Midfielders, on the other hand, he hasn't got a bloody clue.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Alfonso Bedoya
Moderator fat maradona said:
Just seen on SSN that Gill is in talks with Sneidjer and his camp.I'm with SKW on this one. And another thing that niggles me is the question of whether he wants to join us because he wants to play for us or because he wants the extra dough. If he does have the ambition of playing in a United shirt, why then did he turn us down 2 years ago and decide to join Inter?
It's a lot of money to pay for a 'knee jerk reaction'. Sure, we need a world class creative midfielder but do we really want to sign a player that is only considering the move because of the extra money
on offer?He'd have to take a pay cut to join United.
Posted 1 year ago # -
ian
Member Posted by unregistered user: ian (URL)Very difficult to understand. Sneijder -massive ego; massive fee; massive wages; 27, with no EPL experience. Bought to be the hub of the team. Massive pressure on the player & on SAF to justify the purchase. Rooney pushed into the shadows. All this is Veron re-visited. Great player; great cameos; couldn’t cope with the pace of the EPL. My gut feeling is that this is not the way to go. I just think that if he had been a truly great player -capable of withstanding the pressure- he would have made it at Real; he didn’t. For a “fee” of £40m (taking in wages); getting M’Vila & someone like Nasri would be a better buy.
Posted 1 year ago # -
triggs
Member According to James Robson from the MEN:
"Gill in Milan. #MUFC will break club transfer record to make sneijder deal happen, but personal terms must yet be agreed"
https://twitter.com/#!/JamesRobsonMEN
Posted 1 year ago # -
Violent Banana
Member Posted by unregistered user: Violent BananaYour initial hunch on the Sneijder deal never being a goer seems to have been correct Ed:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/default.stmOh well. Carrick and Anderson it is then.
Posted 1 year ago #
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