Today it’s been reported that United are not interested in signing Joe Cole.
Many reports had previously suggested that Sir Alex was the favourite to acquire the Chelsea midfielder’s signature but according to The Guardian United will pass on the opportunity leaving his services available for the likes of Arsenal and possibly even Spurs.
With such a talented player being available on a free transfer it was thought United would have done their utmost to sign Cole. As we all know Sir Alex has forever been a keen admirer of the 28 year old midfielder, however the decision not to sign Cole may be down to the fact that he’s had a long list of injuries throughout his career yet is commanding such a high wage. A history of injuries didn’t stop Sir Alex signing the injury prone Michael Owen on a free transfer, so what’s made him say no to Cole?
The question we now need to ask ourselves is where or should I say who do we sign now? I think we all agree that we are missing some extra spark going forward. Someone who can not only create goals, but score them to. I think Joe Cole would have definitely filled that void for a few years at least. Fergie has confidence in his young squad with the likes of Obertan, Hernandez, Nani and even Cleverley all still capable of improving and hitting the heights of stardom, but surely we need someone who is at their peak at this moment in time.
The name David Silva is continuously mentioned day in day out at United. He would be affordable with Valencia’s current financial troubles, he’s young, talented, but the main factor is that he’d walk straight into the United team and give us that creative flair we are lacking.
German Mesut Ozil, Edin Dzeko of Wolfsburg, Karim Benzema who has failed to hold down a first team place at Madrid and Angel Di Maria of Benfica are just a few names who are frequently linked with United.
David Gill has insisted there is money there for Fergie to spend if and when he chooses. However, Sir Alex normally signs before major competitions like the World Cup in fear that a good performance could massively inflate player’s transfer fees. So does this mean that Sir Alex has decided to stick with what he’s currently got or will we be seeing a big name or two join the Old Trafford ranks this summer?
Let’s hope it’s the latter!
I agree with Henry on a few points (don’t agree that Hargo and Owen cost us the league)but in terms of Joe Cole not showing humility to sign a new deal is spot on. He has done nothing of note this season to warrant a bumper deal as well as suffering with injuries but that being said a player of hia talents available on a free is a rare occurance so I’m so obviously disappointed.
I agree with Henry in that Joe Cole is not as good as Paul Scholes. He has not reached that level and probably won’t now. If he had joined Man Utd earlier in his career he could have been one of the best. I don’t agree that Cole is old and close to retirment. He could easily play another 7 years, and Giggs and Scholes have shown what can be achieved if players look after themselves. However your point about his injuries are true, but I don’t agree that Hargreaves and Owen injuries cost us the title.