It is official. Manchester United have completed the signing of striker Romelu Lukaku from Everton, for a fee reported to be in the region of £75million (BBC Sport).
It is a strong statement made by the club in the transfer market, indicating that their pull in the transfer market still remains very strong.
There have also been reports that the 20-time English champions are closing in on signing Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan. The deal has hit a snag as the Italian club are holding out for a larger transfer fee, which the Red Devils aren’t willing to match.
United, last season, may have won the UEFA Europa League, the EFL Cup and the FA Community Shield, but a 6th-place in the Premier League is far from acceptable for a club of that stature. Agreed, Jose Mourinho was absolutely battered due to injury problems at the end of the season, which led to him putting all his eggs in the Europa League basket. But things could have been so much better for the Red Devils in the English top tier had they not been so profligate in front of goal.
United’s inability to kill games off and find the back of the net with precision was the main reason behind them finishing the season with as many as 15 draws in the Premier League – a club record for the most number of draws in a season. Apart from the talismanic Zlatan Ibrahimović, the rest of the attacking line struggled to come up with the goods, which ended up costing them dear. This was one major issue that Jose had to sort out ahead of the new season, more so after releasing Zlatan following a serious knee injury to the Swede.
They have done a great job of addressing it, by capturing one of the Premier League’s most lethal strikers in Romelu Lukaku. Despite all the criticism that has been thrown against him; be it his poor first touch or him going missing in the big games, there is no questioning that he is easily one of the best in England currently. The fact that only Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero has scored more Premier League goals (99) than Lukaku (85) in the last five years is a testament to his pedigree and proven abilities.
Last season as well, Lukaku finished as the second highest goal scorer in the top-flight, with 25 goals, helping Everton to 7th position. The 24-year old has the pace, the power and the physicality to trouble the defenders and can get you all kinds of goals. And with the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata and Anthony Martial operating behind him, the supply line for the Belgian will also be a much-improved one, compared to what he had at Everton. So goals are guaranteed for United.
Also, throw into the mix, the amazing speed of Ivan Perisic and his ability to impact games from wide areas. If United manage to sign him, then Jose could have one of the most devastating attacks in the Premier League at his disposal. The Croatian international may not be the most elite of the players in Europe but has been performing at this level consistently for years now.
Last season, despite the ineffectiveness and the inconsistencies at Inter, Perisic finished the season with 11 goals and 12 assists from 42 games in all competitions. He has the ability to find the back of the net by cutting in from the flanks, can create chances for others with his pace and has the ability to stretch defences. Add to all this, he has the physicality to tough it out in the Premier League. The 28-year old has all the required ingredients to become a top class signing for United, considering that goals from wide areas was something that the Europa League winners were struggling to produce on a regular basis.
An attack led by Lukaku at the top, with Perisic and either Martial or Marcus Rashford out on the flanks and Mkhitaryan operating in his favoured No.10 role, with Paul Pogba also supporting from the midfield is sure to send shivers down many defences’ spine.
At the same time, let’s not forget Jose Mourinho’s “second season syndrome.” The mercurial Portuguese has managed to win a league title in his second season at all the clubs he has managed in his career – Porto, Chelsea (both stints), Inter Milan and Real Madrid. And what more, each time, he has managed to improve his trophy haul from the first season – with the only exception being the 2004-05 season with the Blues.
With Lukaku confirmed, if they manage to add Perisic and a holding midfielder, there are enough reasons to believe that Jose will continue to maintain his extremely impressive second season record and lead United to the Premier League title next season. The warning signs are there for the rest of the challengers. Jose and United are coming.
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