Tevez Staying in EPL is Good for the League
Manchester United look to be days away from signing Carlos Tevez. There are rumors that the transfer will be anything but an easy process as who should benefit from the sale of the Argentine is murky at best. West Ham United? Corinthians? A third party that claims to "own" Tevez and Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano? I have a feeling there will be some closed door meetings to determine where the £30million is to be awarded, but the move will not be blocked altogether.
To remain more popular than Spain's La Liga the EPL must do whatever it can to keep young, talented and electrifying talent in England. While Thierry Henry has moved on to Barcelona at the age of 29, he was arguably the face of the league. Henry's departure to a club that already features the likes of Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi means Barca have widened the gap on the rest of the world in terms of star power, viewing interest and more than likely fan base. Personally, unless Arsenal are playing Man United, Chelsea or Liverpool I would prefer to watch Barca against anyone. Consider also that Tottenham Hotspur look very close to surpassing Arsenal in the league this year given the projected starting lineups comes August.
Which is why it is crucial of the EPL to keep the non-English talent currently playing in England out of the hands of big clubs in Italy and Spain and bring in additional foreign players. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Essien, Michael Ballack and Obafemi Martins are what makes the EPL so fantastic. The signings of Fernando Torres, Sulley Montari, Nani and Eduardo da Silva should be applauded by fans of the league, regardless of who they support. In addition, the transfer buzz around another Arsenal player, Cesc Fabregas, should be of concern as he is undeniably one of the most exciting players in the EPL right now.
Getting back to the Tevez transfer. If you examine the Manchester United roster it is impossible not to consider the ages of the stars at the club. Wayne Rooney (21), Cristiano Ronaldo (22), Michael Carrick (25), Nemanja Vidic (25) and Tevez is just 23. That is one hell of a young core of talent that could dominate the league and possibly Europe for the next 7 years or more.
I may be wrong on this - but I doubt it - Alex Ferguson will not be managing the club when Ronaldo and Rooney are in their late 20s. He may not even be there when Carrick or Owen Hargreaves (26) approach their 28th or 29th birthdays. This is all speculation. I have no idea how long Ferguson can go on at the club. He will never grow tired of the fight year in and year out. I believe he will only go out on his terms, and he will want to go out on top.
Which only adds to the intrigue surrounding the activity in the close season by Man United. I am predicting that the club believes Roy Keane is two years away from being ready to take over as the manager. I think it might be the worst kept secret in football that both the former player and the club want to reunite in that capacity. Given the work he did with Sunderland last season that reunification may be sooner rather than later.
So, is Ferguson building a club that will not suffer when such a landmark event as the changing of managers takes place? Is he planning to overwhelm the league the next two seasons by pairing Tevez with Rooney? This is a combination that - in a perfect Red Devilish world - could bring another European trophy to the club before Ferguson steps down. If you guess at what the potential starting lineup could be next season - and barring serious injuries - it is hard to imagine the club going without some kind of trophy.
No matter how the relationship between Keane and Ferguson ended, I don't think the manager would think short-term when he puts together this squad. He knows the club is bigger than any manager and that its continued success is in all honesty good for football. Even if Keane is not the next manager, I would have to believe an obvious short-term replacement would be Carlos Queiroz. He is the assistant coach, Ferguson's close friend and his adored by the players.
Tevez has made it known for some time he is a huge fan of the club. Remember, he once showed up to a press conference in a United shirt while he was playing for Corinthians. All of the current players on the Man United roster I mentioned above could conceiveably retire as a United player. I realize it is outlandish to predict the future of Ronaldo or Rooney at such a young age. But if the club continues to win, the players continue to experience success and it is all done at one of the biggest clubs in the world in the best league in the world...Where else could they go? Where else would they want to go?
The money in the EPL, the history of the clubs and the worldwide exposure should mean that the stars of the game will continue to flock to England. The rest of the league hopes that these players just don't keep flocking to Manchester United. Thierry Henry defined Arsenal and thus departure leaves the club looking lost at sea. Alex Ferguson has without question defined Manchester United during his time at the club. The difference is that when he departs the pieces will be in place for continued success and the panic and waywardness that currently grips the London club's supporters will not be evident at Old Trafford.
The lesson here is no club should allow a single player to define who they are.
To remain more popular than Spain's La Liga the EPL must do whatever it can to keep young, talented and electrifying talent in England. While Thierry Henry has moved on to Barcelona at the age of 29, he was arguably the face of the league. Henry's departure to a club that already features the likes of Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi means Barca have widened the gap on the rest of the world in terms of star power, viewing interest and more than likely fan base. Personally, unless Arsenal are playing Man United, Chelsea or Liverpool I would prefer to watch Barca against anyone. Consider also that Tottenham Hotspur look very close to surpassing Arsenal in the league this year given the projected starting lineups comes August.
Which is why it is crucial of the EPL to keep the non-English talent currently playing in England out of the hands of big clubs in Italy and Spain and bring in additional foreign players. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Essien, Michael Ballack and Obafemi Martins are what makes the EPL so fantastic. The signings of Fernando Torres, Sulley Montari, Nani and Eduardo da Silva should be applauded by fans of the league, regardless of who they support. In addition, the transfer buzz around another Arsenal player, Cesc Fabregas, should be of concern as he is undeniably one of the most exciting players in the EPL right now.
Getting back to the Tevez transfer. If you examine the Manchester United roster it is impossible not to consider the ages of the stars at the club. Wayne Rooney (21), Cristiano Ronaldo (22), Michael Carrick (25), Nemanja Vidic (25) and Tevez is just 23. That is one hell of a young core of talent that could dominate the league and possibly Europe for the next 7 years or more.
I may be wrong on this - but I doubt it - Alex Ferguson will not be managing the club when Ronaldo and Rooney are in their late 20s. He may not even be there when Carrick or Owen Hargreaves (26) approach their 28th or 29th birthdays. This is all speculation. I have no idea how long Ferguson can go on at the club. He will never grow tired of the fight year in and year out. I believe he will only go out on his terms, and he will want to go out on top.
Which only adds to the intrigue surrounding the activity in the close season by Man United. I am predicting that the club believes Roy Keane is two years away from being ready to take over as the manager. I think it might be the worst kept secret in football that both the former player and the club want to reunite in that capacity. Given the work he did with Sunderland last season that reunification may be sooner rather than later.
So, is Ferguson building a club that will not suffer when such a landmark event as the changing of managers takes place? Is he planning to overwhelm the league the next two seasons by pairing Tevez with Rooney? This is a combination that - in a perfect Red Devilish world - could bring another European trophy to the club before Ferguson steps down. If you guess at what the potential starting lineup could be next season - and barring serious injuries - it is hard to imagine the club going without some kind of trophy.
No matter how the relationship between Keane and Ferguson ended, I don't think the manager would think short-term when he puts together this squad. He knows the club is bigger than any manager and that its continued success is in all honesty good for football. Even if Keane is not the next manager, I would have to believe an obvious short-term replacement would be Carlos Queiroz. He is the assistant coach, Ferguson's close friend and his adored by the players.
Tevez has made it known for some time he is a huge fan of the club. Remember, he once showed up to a press conference in a United shirt while he was playing for Corinthians. All of the current players on the Man United roster I mentioned above could conceiveably retire as a United player. I realize it is outlandish to predict the future of Ronaldo or Rooney at such a young age. But if the club continues to win, the players continue to experience success and it is all done at one of the biggest clubs in the world in the best league in the world...Where else could they go? Where else would they want to go?
The money in the EPL, the history of the clubs and the worldwide exposure should mean that the stars of the game will continue to flock to England. The rest of the league hopes that these players just don't keep flocking to Manchester United. Thierry Henry defined Arsenal and thus departure leaves the club looking lost at sea. Alex Ferguson has without question defined Manchester United during his time at the club. The difference is that when he departs the pieces will be in place for continued success and the panic and waywardness that currently grips the London club's supporters will not be evident at Old Trafford.
The lesson here is no club should allow a single player to define who they are.
posted by Anonymous at 9:36 AM
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