Comment: Time for United to splash cash

04 December 2009 10:03
GIVEN the unspectacular impact made by Zoran Tosic in his first 12 months at Old Trafford, there won't have been too many tears shed by United supporters after Sir Alex Ferguson pulled out of the deal to sign fellow Serbian Adem Ljajic. Though Ljajic was always believed to be the better prospect of the two, signed in a double deal worth around £16.5m last January, Tosic's inability to force his way into first team reckoning was hardly a good omen for his former Partizan Belgrade team-mate. But while Ferguson's decision not to go through with the £9m transfer may end up saving United from making an expensive error in the fashion of a Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba or David Bellion, it will raise further concerns about the financial state of the club. Nothing will have set alarm bells ringing in the minds of conspiracy theorists more than the comments of Partizan president Dragan Djuric, who said: "Maybe the news came because Manchester United is in financial crisis." Payment They may be the words of a president scorned but they will drive right into the heart of every United supporter wondering where the £80m one-off payment made by Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer has gone. The latest move has already prompted the Manchester United Supporters' Trust to question the club's clout in the transfer market. MUST chief executive Duncan Drasdo said: "Whatever the reason for the Ljajic deal falling through the fact is with the revenues flowing into the club Manchester United should be competing with Real Madrid and Barcelona for players of the calibre of Messi and Kaka but instead we have to carry the deadweight of the Glazers' ownership on our backs. "The true picture will not be clear until after the January transfer window but with the £80m Ronaldo transfer fee, plus the supposed £25-30m annual transfer kitty, a spend of £100m would effectively be break-even and supporters will rightly be asking where has the money gone when they've been forced to pay more and more through the huge ticket price rises in recent years." After a summer in which the £16m signing of Antonio Valencia was United's most significant investment - followed by the free transfer of Michael Owen and £3m signing of Gabriel Obertan - question marks were already being raised as to whether Ferguson would get to see the Ronaldo money. United continue to be linked with names across the globe, from Edin Dzeko at Wolfsburg to Brazilian sensation Naymar at Santos. Valencia pair David Silva and David Villa remain two players coveted by Ferguson but he simply refuses to meet an asking price that could be as much as £80m for the pair. Likewise Sergio Aguero at Atletico Madrid, who appears to have been priced out of United's range with Chelsea appearing willing to pay £45m to bring the Argentine to the Premier League. With United already trailing Carlo Ancelotti's side by five points at the top of the table, the sight of Roman Abramovich splashing the cash once again is a chastening one. Transfer move If there is one thing that sets Ferguson apart from his rivals it is his boldness in the transfer market - and at a time when supporters are genuinely concerned that he is being forced to operate with one hand tied behind his back, now is the time to strike. His determination to act responsibly with the club's money is creditable but the average supporter couldn't care less if Silva is £10m over-priced - if he is the difference between a fourth successive title and not, he is worth every penny. As admirably as United have managed in the post-Ronaldo era, there are still major doubts that they can overhaul Chelsea's lead at the top, let alone triumph in the Champions League. The question is whether price is an issue for Ferguson or the Glazers. Another possibility - and one that would be unthinkable for United supporters - is that for the first time in a long time their manager is second-guessing himself. And that the collapse of the Ljajic deal has nothing to do with financial constraints being placed upon him - rather his own doubts as to whether he is willing to gamble on his judgement. It wouldn't be unreasonable to think he is a touch punch drunk after some heavy blows in the transfer market of late. At best, the jury is still out on Berbatov and Nani. At worst, they represent £40m-plus flops. At around £18m, Anderson is still to realise his potential, while for all his undoubted talent, Owen Hargreaves has hardly been value for his £17m transfer fee after an injury-ravaged two years at Old Trafford. Before them came Kleberson, Djemba-Djemba, Bellion and Liam Miller. Before them Juan Sebastien Veron, Diego Forlan. Such names stand out only because they are glaring exceptions in a transfer history for Ferguson that has mostly been outstanding. Hughes, Cantona, Ince, Keane, Schmeichel, Kanchelskis, Bruce, Pallister, Irwin, Yorke, Cole, Ronaldo, Nistelrooy, Rooney, Stam, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Van der Sar, the list goes on and on. Now is the time to add to it. At any cost. What do you think? Have your say.

Source: Manchester_EveningNews