With shed loads of new money kicking around The Premier League top players have more options than ever. A decode ago Manchester United were usually the team that could outbid any other for the top stars in The Premier League and beyond.
Real Madrid and Barcelona could match their spending but the list of clubs who could sign the very best was small. Then came Chelsea, who seemed to signal the advent of the billionaire owner. Anzhi, Malaga, PSG, Manchester City and Monaco followed, with varying degrees of success.
But, those changes have made the football landscape completely different, in a short space of time. Manchester City and Chelsea have not only raised the ceiling on transfer fees but also destroyed Manchester United’s monopoly in The Premier League. We don’t know the long term ramifications. Perhaps Manchester United will return to the top. Perhaps it is their turn to be bought by middle eastern royalty? Or perhaps Chelsea and Manchester City will slug it out for major honours indefinitely.
At present Manchester United will still feel that they can complete in the market. One of the players who will surely generate an almighty transfer scramble in the summer is Porto centre back Eliaquim Mangala.
Manchester City and Manchester United have been joined by moneybags Monaco in the financial fight to sign Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala.
Chelsea have bought Kurt Zouma in the winter window so they may let this one go. But Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and a host of top European clubs are looking to buy a stellar centre back in the summer and Mangala looks like the best investment on the market.
He’s a rock of man, has excellent feet, is lightning quick and reads the game beautifully. His huge transfer fee will be partly offset but he fact that, at 22, he could give ten years of top service to his next employer.
One could easily imagine this developing into one of the biggest scrambles in football history. Manchester United are desperate for some solidity at the back and would perhaps go to £40m to secure the player. But, if Manchester City want to shut up shop and never concede a goal again, then they may be happy to go even higher. A centre back partnership of Kompany and Mangala would be nigh on impenetrable and make Manchester City as frightening in defence as they are going forward.
Then there are the likes of Real Madrid (always happy to pay top whack for defenders) PSG and Monaco. PSG have Thiago Silva and Monaco did extremely well to sign Geoffrey Kondogbia. But both may well pursue a player of this quality in their attempts at fast-track success.
Overall, we think that this guy will be the subject of a huge transfer scrap in the summer. Let’s take a look at him in action.
Is Mangala worth £40m plus?
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