The Manchester United team is overdue a makeover and I think this summer we will begin to see the transformation. David Moyes failed miserably at Old Trafford and was given the boot and it will now be up to Louis van Gaal to clear up the mess. The first man on his shortlist, apparently, is a player he has worked closely with at international level – Kevin Strootman.
With reports saying new Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is set to be handed £220 million for summer transfers, here are four players he should be moving for.
With news coming in that Olivier Giroud could yet stay at Arsenal and finish his two-year contract at the Emirates, it got me thinking how Arsene Wenger should play his cards this summer. Here are a few things that I would do.
Wayne Rooney is still under the age of 30, just, and has over 500 club appearances to his name, has scored 232 goals and has 38 goals in 89 games for the England national side. That’s some record, bearing in mind he also has 12 major trophies with Manchester United. Sky Bet have got Manchester United fans worried, though, as they have made Chelsea favourites to sign the forward this summer.
Rickie Lambert’s career is one of fairytales. The Liverpool-born striker once worked in a beetroot factory before earning his break in football, and after working his way up through the lower leagues he is now an established Premier League goal scorer and is an England international. He is also said to be on the brink of a move to boyhood club Liverpool, something which supporters of other clubs find slightly amusing.
Angel Di Maria has had a sterling season but he very much playing second fiddle to Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid, and it seems that he will be heading out of the exit door this summer. The Argentina international has hinted that a move is on, according to the Daily Star, with Arsenal and Manchester United waiting in the shadow.
One of Sir Alex Ferguson’s best pieces of transfer business was picking up Cristiano Ronaldo for what now looks like a pittance, to sell him for huge money to Real Madrid in a deal which – at the time – saw him become the world’s most expensive player. Now, after scoring 252 goals in 246 and winning five major trophies for the La Liga giants, Sky Bet have placed Manchester United as favourites to sign the Portugal international by the 2nd of September.
When Arsenal splashed the cash to land Mesut Ozil last summer it sparked a sense of belief around the Emirates. After going eight years without a trophy the supporters started to dream about landing some silverware, especially when they topped the Premier League table going into the new year. They fell short, though, finishing fourth, but did win the FA Cup to end their barren spell.