Transfer Speculation

The season couldn’t have been better for Manchester United so far. They have won the EPL. They are in the FA Cup Final and they reached the Champions League Semi Final as well. The current players have been brilliant but its time to build a team for the future. Its time to add some new faces to this wonderful squad through the transfer window.

Some players who might leave Old Trafford during this transfer window-

Mikael Silvestre and Wes Brown – Both these players have been linked with a move to Newcastle. They have been a part of the Man Utd bench for most part of this season and it looks like they won’t be able to break into the first team because of the presence of Rio, Vidic, Neville and Evra. These guys have been brilliant backup players but they might consider a move from Old Trafford to get regular first team opportunities.

Gabriel Heinze – The Argentine defender has been traced by Juventus. Heinze is popular among United fans and is capable enough to make a place for himself in any team. He plays at left back for United and is capable of playing in the centre as well. But, the emergence of Patrice Evra has kept him out of the first team for most part of this season. With injury crisis hitting Man Utd, Heinze has played a significant role in keeping the defense together. The limited first team chances might prompt him to make a switch.

Louis Saha – As always, the French striker has been injured for most part of this season. Even SAF looked frustrated when asked about Saha’s hamstring injury. He was one of the reasons behind the momentous start that Man Utd got this season but injuries have limited his first team appearances in the second half of the season.

Players who will be coming back from loan-

Ben Foster – Foster played for Watford this season and was brilliant. He snatched the goalkeeper spot in the England International Team from Paul Robinson. He has shown his talent and ability to step into Van Der Sar’s shoes when the Dutch stopper retires from football.

Giuseppe Rossi – There were huge expectations from the Italian prodigy when he went to Newcastle on loan from Man Utd but he couldn’t get much first team chances. With 5 strikers at his disposal in January, SAF decided to send Rossi on loan to Parma. He was sensational in Italy and showed why he is rated so high by SAF. Sir Alex might develop him as a future replacement for Scholes.

Gerard Pique – Gerard Pique might be a key feature of future Man Utd defense. He had a wonderful season with Real Zaragoza where he gained a lot of valuable experience. He might feature regularly in Man Utd’s lineup next season.

Man Utd’s possible transfer targets-

Owen Hargreaves(Bayern Munich) – Man Utd need a good defensive midfielder to form a team capable of conquering Europe. They have chased Hargreaves for a long time but Bayern refused to sell him. It looked almost certain that he’ll move to Man Utd after the end of the season but Bayern are continuously increasing the transfer amount which might prompt SAF to look elsewhere.

Gareth Bale(Southampton) – The young left back can be promoted to the midfield and groomed as Giggs’ replacement. Man Utd were after him in January but couldn’t sign him. They might get him now.

Nani(Sporting Lisbon) – Another long term target for Man Utd. SAF look at him as Giggs’s replacement The combination of two Portuguese wingers would be amazing if Nani comes to Man Utd.

Morten Gamst Pedersen(Blackburn Rovers) – He is well settled in the premiership, wonderful in dead ball situations and might prove to be a perfect replacement for Giggs.

Samuel Eto’o(Barcelona) – The Cameroon striker might leave Barca(due to a rift between him and Frank Rijkaard) at the end of the season and all the big clubs are after him. He would be a perfect player to have but the huge price tag might prompt Man Utd to look elsewhere.

Fernando Torres(Atletico Madrid) – The Spain International has been a long term transfer target for Man Utd. He is a future superstar but might take time to settle in the premiership.

Michael Owen(Newcastle United) – Man Utd might invoke the release clause in Owen’s contract. The problem with Owen is injuries. Man Utd don’t need people who miss most part of the season due to injuries.

Dimitar Berbatov(Tottenham Hotspur) – The Bulgarian striker has taken little time to settle into the premiership. He has been the best new entrant in the premiership this season. He is a target man, a cool finisher and a kind of striker that Man Utd needs.

Klass Jan Huntelaar(Ajax) – The dutchman has been hailed as the new Ruud van Nistelrooy. He won’t cost much and would be a great target man to have upfront.

Personally, I would like to see Hargreaves, Eto’o(sell Saha) and Nani in Man Utd jersey.

Twist of Fate

What a Premiership Saturday we had. The two early kickoffs(Chelsea vs Bolton & Everton vs Man Utd) will definitely have a huge bearing on the outcome of the title race. At one instant, the advantage in the title race tilted in Chelsea's favour and at the other, it tilted in Man Utd's favour. It was impossible to guess, which way it will end up. This is how it happened at Goodison Park and Stamford Bridge-
12'-Stubbs scored, Man Utd down 1-0 : Alan Stubbs' free kick was deflected off Michael Carrick and Van Der Sar was beaten. Everton struck first blood early in the game.
19'-Michalik scored, Chelsea down 0-1 : Following the footsteps of United, Chelsea conceded a goal as well. Lubomir Michalik was the scorer for Bolton.
22'-Kalou scored, Chelsea equalize : Bolton's lead lasted for only 3 minutes. Salomon Kalou brought Chelsea back in the game.
34'-Jaaskelainen scored an own goal, Chelsea ahead 2-1 : Chelsea were looking all set to snatch 3 points off this match as Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen scored an own goal.
At half time Chelsea were leading 2-1 while United were down 1-0. If the scores had stayed like this, Man Utd would have finished the day on top of the table only on goal difference. Second half in both games was going to be crucial.
50'-Fernandes scored, Man Utd down 2-0 : Manuel Fernandes scored a screamer past Van Der Sar to double Everton's lead and ruin United's title hopes. After all the hard work throughout the season and then having a game like this was heartbreaking for every United fan. It looked like one of those seasons when team looked like the best but couldn't pull it off when it mattered most. Was it going to be the case? The players had to pick themselves up to make a comeback in the game.
54'-Davies scored, Bolton equlaize : Bolton looked to have given Man Utd a lifeline as they scored past Petr Cech to draw level.
61'-O'Shea scored, Man Utd slash the deficit to 2-1 : Scousebuster Sheasy took full advantage of the error that Everton keeper made and Man Utd were back in the game. This goal prompted SAF to bring Ronaldo as a bit more pressure was required from the attackers.
68'-Neville scored an own goal, Man Utd equlaize : When the skies were grey, good old Phil Neville came to Man Utd's rescue. He scored an own goal and gave his former club a chance to pull off a sensational win.
79'-Rooney scored, Man Utd ahead 2-3 : Wazza scored yet another crucial goal for Man Utd as they came back from 2-0 down to lead the game 3-2.
90'-Eagles scored, Man Utd ahead 2-4 : A dream debut for Chris Eagles. He scored in stoppage time to seal this game and make this victory even more impressive.
At the end of an eventful afternoon, Man Utd increased their lead to 5 points and it is safe to say that this might be the end of the title race. Chelsea have a couple of tough games coming up against Arsenal and Man Utd and they cannot afford to lose points. They will have to hope that Man Utd lose atleast 2 out of their remaining 3 games which looks highly unlikely.
When the game was on, one fan was continuously refreshing livescore.com to get the latest updates. He jumped out of his chair and screamed like mad when Rooney scored. He was lucky that no one heard it. This fan was me. My team made me and every other Manc feel proud. May this team go on and create history.