£30 million or Berbatov rots in the reserves. In that case, let him rot!
August 26, 2008
Reports today claim that if United fail to meet Tottenham’s £30 million valuation of Dimitar Berbatov, Spurs are prepared to let the sulking striker rot in the reserves. Berbatov missed Tottenham’s recent home defeat to Sunderland with manager Juande Ramos claiming the striker’s “head is not right” leaving Spurs with just one recognised striker in the team.
Berbatov has made no secret of his desire to join United and United have made no secret of their desire to bring the Bulgarian on board but as of yet, the clubs have been unable to agree upon a fee. United have already had a £20 million bid rejected and it is reported that United are prepared to up that to £25 million but not a penny more. On top of that, United want Spurs to withdraw their complaint over the saga in which the North London club claimed United had tapped up Berbatov.
Spurs have lost both of their Premiership games so far this season with the home defeat to Sunderland piling the pressure on the club. Whether Berbatov is sold or is indeed left to rot in the reserves it is clear that Spurs will need to sign another striker, possibly two, if they are to have any hope of a top 6 finish let alone finishing in a Champions League spot.
£25 million from the sale of Berbatov would represent almost £15 million profit for a player they bought for little over £10 million just two seasons ago and with the striker so desperate to leave it looks to be a sweet deal for Spurs. It would also give Ramos the funds to delve into the market and sign another top class striker which the club so desperately need.
It is no secret that United have paid over the odds for players in the past and I have no doubt that it was it in the back of Levy’s mind when he slapped the price tag on Berbatov. He needs to be careful though; the last thing Spurs want is a sulky striker with huge wages in the reserves whilst the rest of the team struggle to break into the top half. But if he is not careful, that is exactly what will happen as all the signs coming from Old Trafford suggest United will not be held to ransom.
As it stands, it is simply a waiting game to see which side will give in; if any. If united cave in now, it will send yet another signal to every other club that United are there to be fleeced. If someone is going to give in, let’s hope that it isn’t us.
The only man to replace Ronaldo is Messi
June 29, 2008
Former academy boss Eric Harrison has suggested there is only one man who could replace Cristiano Ronaldo should he leave; Lionel Messi.
Eric Harrison was at United when The Golden Generation were coming through and had a key role to play in the development of the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and the Neville brothers.
Things were a little different back then Harrison recalled, losing a big player wasnt really a problem when you had quality waiting in the wings.
Bryan Robson, Ince, Kanchelskis, and Hughes were all great players, he said, But Ronaldo will be harder to replace because there is no one in the juniors to do it.
With no youth players ready to stake a claim to Ronaldos position, Harrison can only think of one player who could.
Ronaldo is probably the best player in the world right at the moment. If you were twisting my arm, Id say the only guy who can replace him is Messi and there are no guarantees that Barcelona will be willing to sell him. That means it might be a more difficult situation.
Of course, in a perfect world we would have them both but I dont see that happening. Would bringing Messi in make losing Ronaldo easier to cope with? Or say Ronaldo wanted to stay, given his recent shenanigans, would you want to swap him anyway?
