There really is nothing that says a transfer window unlike a good old fashion player vs. club saga, the latest club to fall foul of player power to an extent, is Manchester United. The Red Devils have known that their star goalkeeper David de Gea has been linked with a move away to Real Madrid and recently Louis van Gaal came out in a conference to state that De Gea was not in the ‘right mentality’ to play for the club.
De Gea did not feature in the first game of the Premier League season as Sergio Romero started against Tottenham. De Gea was always wanted by Real Madrid but he probably is one of the best players in the world, at least in his position and it is no wonder that Manchester United are fighting tooth and nail to keep the young goalkeeper at Manchester.
De Gea to his credit, has not spoken about his desire to play for Madrid, he already knows what life is like in the Spanish capital, having played at rivals Atletico Madrid for a few years before moving to Manchester. While both clubs are almost equal in terms of fan following, De Gea has a tough decision to make, should he sign a new contract and stay at United or hold onto the end of this season and move on a free?
Home is where the heart is
De Gea has to weigh up the conditions of the teams at the two clubs, Manchester United seem to be in a rebuilding phase yet again and based on the signings they have made, it will take them a bit of time to gel together, plus the fact that Van Gaal could retire from management at the end of his contract, that would mean yet another manager coming in and then having a crack at fixing the team. Would De Gea, who is only 24-years-old, want to be going through another rebuilding phase in 2-3 years?
The same applies to Real Madrid, who seem to be in a constant phase of rebuilding. They sack managers at the end of almost every season and while the rebuilding doesn’t take a lot of effort, it does play a bit of a role in deciding how the team plays out. Rafa Benitez is at the helm of the club and could do with a great goalkeeper, especially after seeing Iker Casillas leave the giants for Porto this season.
When it comes to trophies or at least at least challenging for trophies, it might be a better bet to be at Real Madrid rather than Manchester United. The Galacticos only have to deal with Barcelona at the most and could win the Kings cup if things go right for them. At Manchester United however, it is a different story as almost every club is getting better with more spending and this season, for example, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal are stronger than United. The same principle should follow next season and who knows which club could get stronger and challenge United for a top four finish.
The best solution for the problem would be for United to sell the youngster; this stalemate with Van Gaal is helping no one and is affecting the player’s ability and his mental state. Madrid would have to pay through the nose but they would get someone who is perfect for them at the moment. De Gea should be allowed to go home and United should grant him that, he was immensely responsible for them getting into the top four last season and he could do a stellar job at Madrid as well.