It was only partly because somebody misquoted/misinterpreted me about David De Gea on Twitter that I decided to explain more about Manchester United’s increasingly excellent Spanish keeper.
The fact is that there’s also more to say since I wrote this column for Paddy Power on the subject.
On Twitter the other day I was asked what was happening with De Gea and I said that United were beginning to make their offer to him but that, in my view, it should have been tied up by now.
That was misinterpreted by someone, and then widely re-tweeted, as ‘was expected to have been done by now’. Wrong.
Ed Woodward has, naively I think, allowed the great onslaught of getting rid of David Moyes and his staff then signing Van Gaal, his team and new players, to get in the way of renewing De Gea’s commitment to United.
Some may think that with a year and a half to run on the current deal that United’s chief exec is within his rights. Wrong again.
This is a dangerous time in any contract renegotiations. In an attempt to prise the best possible deal for his client, every single agent of worth will point out to the club that unless terms are met they’ll put out a statement about ‘concentrating on the crucial last five months of the season,’ not hold any more meetings, look good in front of the fans and then, suddenly hit the summer holidays without a new deal even being close and, worse, be within six months of being able to negotiate a freedom of contract move.
It’s why shrewd presidents, chairmen, chief execs, managing directors and the like get the really important players tied down on better terms by this stage of a contract at the very latest.
Woodward is briefing that he and United are ‘relaxed’ about things. If this means that a new contract is within touching distance – fine. Hats off. If not, then Woodward is no longer in the power chair – De Gea’s agent is.
I recently watched a terrific BBC 4 documentary on Blondie’s career. They managed to sever ties with a manager, Peter Leeds, who was doing himself more good than he was the band, but they broke up amidst acrimonious negotiations at a time when the single ‘Heart of Glass’ was surging up the charts worldwide. With each passing week the buyout to get rid of Leeds was getting more expensive for Blondie because their worth was literally increasing by the day.
So it is with De Gea. Already the lynchpin of United’s renaissance under Van Gaal, he’s produced match-winning performances against Stoke, at Arsenal and at home to Liverpool which ensure that the fans are utterly devoted to him. Many of them, inaccurately I think, believe that he’s the second best keeper in the world. But he’s now in the elite, no question.
So, to the other clouds on the horizon
Madrid.
Iker Casillas is playing well again, has been for weeks. He’s been a principal architect of Madrid’s Spanish record-breaking run of 21 straight victories. He is still Spain’s No.1 keeper and will be so long as he maintains his form.
De Gea is now clearly established as his deputy and will play certain matches – friendlies and any qualifying match which Vicente Del Bosque decides is non-threatening. But the Casillas rejuvenation has made it much harder for anyone at Madrid who wants to get rid of the 33-year-old. He already has a massively lucrative contract at Madrid until 2017 – when he’ll only be 35. If Madrid want to pay him off then a] it’ll be brutally expensive b] Casillas has stated his intention of finishing his career at the Bernabéu c] there is not, currently, a hot market in the right type of major European clubs who’d like to buy the Madrid captain and, thus, persuade him that it’s in his interest to leave the European Champions.
Madrid also have Keylor Navas – younger, talented and recently purchased on a €10m, six-year deal. So while the idea of buying a young, talented, experienced Spaniard who’s going to be No.1 for Spain for years to come and who once starred for Atlético Madrid clearly attracts president Florentino Pérez, this would not be an easy coup to pull off.
I’ve spoken to a number of people who work around De Gea or who know him. Their verdict is that if the right offer to move to Real Madrid was on the table, and the bid was big enough for United to accept, he would probably say ‘yes’.
Is he happy at United? Yes.
Does he value Premier league football? Yes.
Does he, like many other young talents at the club, think that special things are about to happen? I’m assured that the answer to that is ‘Yes’ too.
But would he snub Madrid if United were willing to sell? No, probably not.
What I argued in the Paddy Power column, and still fully believe, is that it’s the wrong time for him to leave United and the wrong time to return to Madrid. He has experience to gain, he remains a very young keeper, there’s the potential for winning times at Old Trafford.
Should Iker stay then it’ll be a fight to the end to establish who is Madrid’s and Spain’s No.1. De Gea doesn’t need that – he needs continuity, to gain top-level experience, to be driven forward in the knowledge that a top-level club absolutely depends on him not only as starting keeper but as one of their top two or three most important footballers.
Now comes the last complicating factor.
Victor Valdés is an exceptional talent – fit now and available for free. My info is that he’s been training very well, that his recuperation from that horrible injury has proceeded excellently, that his English has improved immensely and that he’s popular and fiercely competitive on the Carrington training ground. He’ll imminently be playing in full practice matches.
It’s ironic that of all the keepers De Gea was most impressed by it was Valdés, ahead of Casillas, Van der Sar and Schmeichel, who led the way. Eric Steele, the former United keeper coach who did so much to bully De Gea out of his greenhorn months at the club and into this golden period where he’s playing, if anything, better than when he won the title, used to be a major fan of Valdés. He’d often quote to De Gea a particular performance the Catalan had given for Barcelona or would highlight specific strong points he wished De Gea to copy from Valdés. So to have the rehabilitating Spaniard popping up at United training was, initially, unsettling for De Gea. Typically, he has taken it as a challenge, responded, upped his daily and his match level and things are on an even keel.
But, what of United? If they sign Valdés, which would normally seem a no-brainer – talented, experienced, fiercely competitive, professional, fit, relatively young for a keeper, and free – then what will the Catalan be aiming at? And what impact would that have on De Gea?
Valdés may have a lot of football in him before he retires to wind-surf, ride his Harley Davidson and pick out classic rock riffs on his guitar, but he’s just lost the best part of a year, a World Cup and a major signing-on fee from Monaco thanks to injury. He will not want to play second fiddle to anyone for very long, wherever he moves to. Thus, if United allow Valdés to move on they may very well be kissing goodbye to a massive bargain – one who could give a club a brilliant, winning five years.
If they sign him, however, what does that do to the negotiations with De Gea? Does he ask for a guarantee of being first choice? Does it harden the negotiations to the extent that they break down? Does he feel undermined and under-valued?
Delicate stuff in the complicated micro-universe of elite football.Delicate stuff which Ed Woodward could have avoided completely if he had not been tardy, if he had not been distracted by, admittedly, turbulent times.
My strong belief is that David De Gea should stay – stay and grow and win things at United. Then return home to Madrid or Barcelona at the peak of his powers. He should stay, he probably will stay – but the whole subject is much more in the balance than it should be if United had done their housework properly.
GH
