Should Manchester United sign Arda Turan?
The Turkish winger has become an integral part of Diego Simeone’s men over the past 2 seasons, and with Manchester United lacking something out wide, he could be the perfect recruit for David Moyes. Buyout price for the former Galatasaray man is reportedly £33m, if Manchester United offer anything less than that, there is no certainty that Atletico will accept, as they look like the first team capable of breaking the Barcelona – Real Madrid duopoly in La Liga since Valencia in the early 2000’s.
This makes Atletico one of Europe’s most formidable sides, and arguably this season they are the second best in Europe behind Bayern Munich. This would make it hard for any club to prize him away from the Vicente Calderon, as if Los Rojiblancos can keep their star trio Turan, Koke and Diego Costa past the winter transfer window, they are in with a genuine chance of European glory. To put it simply, Atletico are currently a far superior side to Manchester United.
Having said that, United should try their luck anyway, the worst that can happen is that they will be rebuffed, and may be quoted 2 or 3 times what Turan is actually worth. After idiotically being linked with Marco Reus and Andres Iniesta, one thing is clear, David Moyes wants a big name signing to fully get him past the Alex Ferguson era, but whether Turan is that player or not is a question that will be answered in January.
As Ashley Young will most likely be sold for a fraction of the price he was bought in for, it seems likely that United will bring in a winger to fill the void Young was meant to in the first place, and also to divert the attention away from the small transfer fee it will take to sign the England international. Turan is an option for any club searching for a winger, and if Bayern fail in their move for Fiorentina’s Juan Cuadrado, in all possibility, they will divert their attention to Turan.
The interest of Bayern would be almost too much for any other club in Europe to compete with, though it may also be an unattractive destination with Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Mario Gotze, Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos all able to play on the wings, there may be too much competition to attract another wide-man, which would give United an advantage.
It is clear that currently Turan is one of the finest wingers in the world, and it is that calibre of player that United should be aiming for to re-assert themselves amongst Europe’s top clubs, but after a dismal summer transfer window where their only signing was a highly overpaid for Marouane Fellaini, there are worries that the same failure will be repeated in January, and if the Red Devils cannot pick themselves up and climb the Premier League ladder before the transfer window opens again, it is unlikely Turan would entertain the idea of taking a step down from potential Champions League winners to a team that will be praying they avoid all of the big teams in the last 16.
Arda Turan Stats (This Season),
Stats courtesy: whoscored.com