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!
We’re skint!
Dont believe what you hear … Wait until July 1st … A surprise may well be around the corner …
Cheers
Hopefully 😀
Lets not rule anything out yet. Man Utd may be trying to take the sting out of the rumour. Even if it is true it might be that Man Utd have other targets in mind. Its not the case of always getting your player before the tournament. Rooney, Ferdinand and Carrick all joined after the tournaments had ended. July will be a big month for the transfers. If the targets are at the World Cup then there is no rush because they won’t be going to USA for pre-season anyway. Man Utd main requirement is a top central midfielder who can score and create. I hope Vidic stays as he is a top defender with experience. If he is determined to leave then Simon Kjaer would be a good addition. The rest is down to who is leaving. Smalling arrival to me signals the end for Wes Brown. I can also see Anderson being sold to a club in France. Welbeck and Diouf will have to be loaned out, as we have 5 strikers for next season in Rooney, Berbatov, Owen, Hernandez and Macheda.
I’ll only be worried about missing out on Cole if we don’t end up signing anyone at all for this position. There are still a few players I’d rather see come in with more upside than Cole.
I wonder if there’s ever been this much anticipation regarding player signing with United. We’ve been told we can expect one big signing and we’re all aware of our biggest void so it certainly builds a lot of speculation and anticipation.
I’ve looked at it like that too Jonathan, 100k a week on Cole would prob reduce the chances of signing someone else even if the price was right
I would be more swayed about Cole if I saw him play with Rooney. But Capello is showing no inclination thus far so I’m still a bit ambivalent about him.
Looking forward to watching Ozil shortly.
Hearing news that Man City have permission to talk to David Silva. I have to admit I’m dissapointed Man Utd are not trying to sign him and are letting Man City have a clear run at him. The guy is class and would bring that creativity and vision our midfield is lacking. I have no idea who Ferguson has targeted, if anyone. I am going to be worried if we are planing on Hargreaves and Gibson to improve our midfield next season.
i would have loved to see joe cole in a utd shirt.
im looking forward to seeing hargo back for utd and england, watching barry today was frustrating at times!
Scholes’ shoes too big for Joe Cole
I don’t agree with those who say that Joe Cole can replace Paul Scholes. At 28, Joe Cole already has his best years behind him. Just think for a moment what Scholes had already accomplished at the age of 28, the level of his game, scoring rate, his ability to control the tempo of the game, the quality of his passing, vision, tackles, match reading and ability to bring his team-mates into the game. Scholes is a genius, whom United will struggle to replace. I think Anderson can be psychologically addressed to step in. Gibson is another lad who deserves a bigger chance in the first team. Obertan is a prospect, who is destined to accomplish much more than Joe Cole, remember he can play out wide, in the middle and can lead the line. He just needs time and ‘no suffocation’ from people like Cole to bend in.
Besides Joe Cole being so close to Scholes’ age bracket, he has a long history of injuries. Remember, we already gambled on other ‘old-sick-men’ in the names of Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves, whose absence at critical times has cost us the Premiership and Champions League this season.
Joe Cole’s wage demands! Yet another undoing. He has been earning 80,000 pounds a week and he’s not willing to bag anything less than 100,000, from a club he has not represented for a year. The guy is not realistic at all. He has been at the Chelsea since 2003 and by now, if he had any semblance to Scholes, he would have had the humility and commitment enough to pen a new deal. Has he done anything spectacular this season to justify the wage demands? NO. He’s just selfish, to say the least.
I also question Cole’s strength as a player, especially in a physical game. That’s not all; his Ariel ability is very questionable. How many times have we seen him win a header?
I don’t want you to get me wrong. I totally agree that Joe Cole is a technically gifted player, whose trickery may serve to unlock defenses, but United deserves a player who can do much more that this, especially if he’s nearing his retirement, injury-prone, demands high wages, and lacks love and commitment to his club. United needs a strong, creative, versatile, ambitious, selfless and humble midfielder. He should be strong in the air, with ability to shoot from range, with a quality final pass and excellent tackler to fill Paul schools’ shoes. And certainly, this is NOT JOE COLE.