Manchester United’s poorest transfers
Migrating country and league is a difficult thing to do for any player, top class or not. It’s a difficult issue to address that has many factors to take into account. Family, different weather and just personal satisfaction with your surroundings are all things that can affect a player’s game drastically. So, in the end there’s only two possible ways to react to a change this big. Fly or die, sink or swim, to score or not to score.
Diego Forlan came to England with the highest of aspirations surrounding him. The striker held a respectable goal ratio in Argentina playing for Independiente and when Manchester United came knocking, a £7 million transfer followed swiftly. All was not how it should have been however. A South-American player boasting a goal every other game at his previous club would have been odds on to do well for the Red Devils. As it was, the Uruguayan only managed a handful of goals over a two-year spell, albeit some were very important , but a mere handful nonetheless.
I think it’s safe to say that two years is long enough ‘benefit of the doubt’ time and the Uruguay international was shipped off to Villareal CF in 2004. This was an evident change for the better, ending his debut season by winning the Pichichi trophy with 25 goals to his name. Diego Forlan is therefore a vanguard for both sides of this argument. Never really getting into a groove in two seasons for one team, and then hitting it off instantly with another. It seems a bit of the sun and a cool sea breeze is all this striker needs to have a good game.
The bad-buys don’t stop there for Manchester United either. £28 million may not seem hugely expensive in 2011, but in 2001, it meant the most expensive purchase in English football history. Making a name for himself as a bit of a maestro, Juan Sebastian Veron signed from Lazio as one of the best midfield players in the world. By the time his stint at the English team was over, he’d pretty much lost this title.
Despite constant support from former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Veron was ultimately labelled as a ‘flop’. Becoming the most expensive player in any market is a privilege one should cherish, and in 2001, anything around the £30 million mark was massive. In the end though, the South-American (perhaps a pattern emerging here) failed to build consistent enough form in an injury-riddled two years and was sold on for a 50% loss to London rivals Chelsea. La Brujita (As the Argentinian was known) again failed to impress enough, racking up a tally of only 14 appearances for Chelsea. Widely regarded as one of the worst transfers of all time, Juan Sebastian Veron definitely took his time settling in, being that he never did.
So far, our examples have illustrated how a player doesn’t reach expectations and is sold on as a result. Sometimes a manager is patient enough in the hopes of someday seeing results. Not to sound like a broken record but a good justification of this point is also an association of those transfer giants, Manchester United. Again, after a transfer fee of £30.75 million, the striker took his time adjusting to the high octane style at Manchester United. Known for his cool and calm composure on the pitch, the striker received criticism in his first season at the club and was feared to be too slowed in his approach to succeed in the red of Manchester United.
His second season saw similar statistics to the first. However, in 2010 a ‘lights-on’ moment seemed to have occurred, and in one season looks set to beat his goal tally from the previous two combined. Currently top scorer in the Barclays Premier League and enjoying his finest form ever, the Bulgarian centre-forward is a testament to how patience can certainly be a virtue. Now showing the true value of his price tag, the players’ assumed arrogance looks like it may be enough to enter him into English football stardom.
Perhaps it would be naive to assume it as coincidence that the only success story of our guinea pigs was also the only example not from a hotter climate. Maybe some players just can’t handle the nocturnal life in Britain and suffer if away from the sun for too long, promoting the argument that English football should become a summer sport. Maybe losing some of our dank and grey legacy would be a worthy sacrifice to see more attractive football from footballers who usually stay away from those Boxing Day ties in Sunderland.
