Jan-Klaas Huntelaar - Who Will Sign Him Next Summer?
The past several days have been absolutely hectic in football, with Manchester United and Chelsea making most of the headlines. Mourinho’s departure was almost as shocking as Mike Dean’s performance and nearly as expected as Manchester United’s loss to Coventry while Avram Grant has shown that he is not really a football manager. But, just to shift the attention away from the top two in England, Ajax sensation Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has put himself on the transfer market as he announced he will leave the Dutch capital in the coming summer (if not sooner than that).
Huntelaar has made a name for himself in the season and a half he has spent at Ajax and was poised to leave at the end of last season. So, in characteristic style, the English media drew up a never ending list of possible suitors for the young (but not too young) striker. In the end, the summer passed and Huntelaar was still wearing the Ajax colours. It looked as if all the speculation was utterly pointless – which is hardly ever the case in the English media, right? But now a new list has to be drawn up; a list with all the likely candidates for the Dutchman’s signature.
Manchester United
Who else could be top of the list? The Premier League champions were among the most popular destination for Huntelaar in the media this summer. And it is not hard to see why. Manchester United have struggled for goals as most of their strikers have been unfit for the start of the current campaign, but even as Rooney and Saha have returned, it looks unlikely that they will manage to match last season’s 83 goals. Huntelaar will give that extra dimension in attack; he will be a more mobile version of van Nisterlooy and he might be able to combine well with either Rooney or Tevez.
The main dilemma that Sir Alex will face is whether to sell or bench Saha. The French striker is vital for the team, but since he has moved to Old Trafford he has been hampered by injuries. There is no reason that he would not be among the top players in that squad and the top goal scorer if he stays fit, but because of his injury problems he might have to go and make way for another talented player.
Huntelaar fits the bill for that talented player perfectly and if he does not have an exceptional season (like his previous at Ajax) his price tag might not too high for Sir Alex’s budget which will be much thinner than this summer’s. Finally there is the question over his adaptability: his performances in Holland in recent years have been unbelievable, but will he manage to replicate that for in the Premier League? If other transfers from the Erendivisie to the English league are to be any indication, than he will fit right in.
The Spanish champions will look to bolster their attacking options next summer as their best two – van Nisterlooy and Raul – are getting too old to be as effective as they were in the past. Huntelaar would not be a bad option for them, as he has proved that he can score many goals and he might be tempted to the Spanish capital for a couple of reasons. The first is that every player – more or less – wants to play for Real Madrid; the second is that Schuster has built a Dutch party at Santiago Bernabeu with four Dutch players coming in this summer to join van Nisterlooy. If he is not a very adaptable person, he will be highly encouraged by this as his fellow countrymen could help him fell more comfortable.
There is really no reason for Real Madrid to be reluctant to buy Huntelaar, provided they need him. The men at Santiago Bernabeu have not shown much loyalty in the past and if another player comes in than somebody needs to make room. At the moment the most likely to be out the door is former Barcelona hit man Saviola who has not put on the best performances of his career so far, but let’s give him time. As far as the price tag is concerned: when has Real Madrid ever had any limitation on their budget? This is a sure destination for Huntelaar if they decide they want him.
Benitez does not like a quiet summer, especially if he has money to spend. As he has shown in the past, if there is any one player who has not performed well during the season, he will be out the door. So look out for Vronin or Crouch, because if they fail to impress, Benitez will try to bring someone else to replace them and Huntelaar is one possible target. Tall, strong, is a good target man, the list goes on. In short he is a more efficient version Crouch.
Benitez might have a more limited budget than the two previous candidates for Huntelaar’s signature and the club owners might not be very much interested to give him money to buy another striker provided that Torres can score for Liverpool. Despite this, Liverpool does need someone like Huntelaar currently. When Torres is not there, or he is not playing well it is hard to see where the goals might come from. On the other hand the strike force of Kuyt and Huntelaar could petrify opposition defences as the two seem to complement each other perfectly. Liverpool might not be the only beneficiaries from such a deal as the Dutch national team will also greatly benefit if their two main strikers play together week-in, week-out (or at least train together, provided Benitez is the manager).
Having lost several of their best players following automatic relegation form Seria A for a match fixing scandal (an easy punishment in my opinion), Juventus are looking to rebuild their squad to challenge for top honours like they used to when they were fixing games. They have bought several good players and their squad looks good enough to challenge for a UEFA Cup spot next year, but naturally they want more and Huntelaar would give them much more quality.
The Dutch striker could well be considered better than current Juventus striker Iaquinta and could be used to fill in for the ageing Del Piero and Trezeguet. SkySports reckons that a deal has already been put in place for a transfer which would take place next summer. This could be a major boost for Juventus who will continue to make their team stronger and stronger until they become champions of Italy again (and maybe top the fair play league as well!).
In my opinion these four are the most likely to compete for the signature of Huntelaar and if they all move for the striker than Real might well be the next destination, however, I think that the most likely club to make a move will be Manchester United. They, more than any other team needs reinforcements in attack while the other three would look to expand on already prolific strike forces. So who do you think needs Klass-Jan Huntelaar most? Will he suceed at the highest level?
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hey ahmed,
wanted to know,..why would you rule out chelsea….if sheva doesnt perform and drogba thinks of moving….they might move for a striker of huntelaar’s calibre…..
That’s Andrei to whom you should ask that question…
A pretty rational sounding list, but out of all United still seems the best and most likely destination for him, heres why.
Real have more than enough attacking options. They have 4 capable strikers. They have Ruud the poacher, Raul the favorite son, Saviola is quick andgood at running channels and Robinho has the Brazilian flair. There is no place for Huntelaar in the team. And though Ruud and Raul might be getting on with the years, they arnt old enough to be looking for replacements just yet. Not to mention with Sneijder Robben and co chipping in goals from mid, no need for another attacker.
Liverpool and Rafa in special have the irriatating habbit of always buying someone in the market, whether they need a player or not. He just brought in Torres and Vornonin and has Crouch and Kuyt. They will not sell Torres. Voronin has done well when he has played, Kuyt is mr. consistency and Crouch always scored when called upon, for some reason that isnt enough but either way he is the only different player in the attacking 4, so he wont go either. And even if he does, Huntelaar plays a lot like Voronin Kuyt and Torres, quick, likes to run with the ball. Too much of the same, he wont go here.
Juventus, while looking a good destination, wont get him. Firstly, they wont do so well this year that they will have enough money to go around splashing the cash just yet. Secondly there is no way Huntelaar will get picked ahead of Iaquinta Trez or Del Piero. Personally i think Juve will buy someone tried and tested from the Serie A, Huntelaar doesnt fit the bill. Plus Man Utd are the better choice of the 2.
United have shown that dutchmen do well in the team. Staam Ruud and EVDS have all done brilliantly. In coming to United, he will also get some job security because he will be competing with a forever injured Saha. United is also a good young team, with the average age 24 odd i think, which is about Huntelaars age. Not to mention Fergie is the best coach in the world to extract the talent out of best kids. I think United will end up buying him because Rooney and Tevez dont seem to be able to play together, and Saha is too much of a liability. I think United should give Saha until next December to prove his worth. If he can stay fit and score goals regularly he can stay. If not then he is out and up steps Huntelaar.
Wow, that vitriolic attack on Juventus sure boosts the credibility of this article. Better luck next time.
NB: TREZEGOL 94th minute winner in the Turin derby…every one of those is a victory over the morons that have no idea what they’re on about in relation to calciopoli and do nothing but rehash what they’ve been told.
I think United want Huntelaar, and that there might have been some kind of understanding that he would be available next summer. Otherwise, Ferguson’s failure to bag a central striker (such as Anelka) before the close of the transfer window looks like a serious error. It has been pretty obvious from the start of the season that United lack fire-power.
Huntelaar is much younger than the likes of Anelka and better fits the younger profile of the team United are trying to build. United will splash out millions, but are extraordinarily reluctant to do so for very experienced “stars” such as Anelka. It’s a question of value for money over the long term.
For Huntelaar the premiership is likely to be an easier transition than Italy, although there might not be too much to choose between La Liga and the English Premier League, when you look at the way the new Dutch players appeared to have settled in at Real Madrid.
Saha is going nowhere. The best way to use Saha is sparingly. It is vital that there is another younger, fitter, high class central striker on the club’s books; someone who can share the central striking duties with Saha. This will help prolong Saha’s career. There was also a time when Ferguson needed to be careful with his use of Ryan Giggs, as he tended to suffer from a lot of hamstring injuries - he will treat Saha in the same way.
While I was writing this I was thinking about Chelsea, but they really do not seem a likely destination. Drogba is really good even when he is not on top form, then there is the rising star that is Kalou (who was getting better by the match last season - don’t know what happened to him this time around) and of course there is Shevchenko who, in my opinion will stay another year before returning to Dynamo Kiev.
On top of this, the tactics that Chelsea are most likely to use in the following seasons in a 4-5-1 convert 4-3-3 with Cole and Malouda supporting Drogba. I say this because it will lead to more attacking football and that is the formation in which they won their two back to back titles. So really there is no place for an unproven someone like Huntelaar while there are three experienced strikers and a bright prospect in that team. Then again, it depends on who takes over from Avram Grant.
jrgoose,
I really did not mean to be offensive, but Juventus really deserve the stick that they are getting. They got off easy from a terrible ‘crime’ and they should have been kept down for at least another year. Sorry.
This is generally a good read but there are a few bits with which I take issue.
“his performances in Holland in recent years have been unbelievable, but will he manage to replicate that for in the Premier League? If other transfers from the Erendivisie to the English league are to be any indication, than he will fit right in”
There is a fair list of players who have failed to make the transition to the Eredivisie to the English League. The best example is Kezman, purely because he went from the Dutch’s league’s greatest ever marksman (he had the best goal-to-game ratio) to a failure in England and then everywhere else. Players such as Boulahrouz struggled with the pace of the game, and Van der Meyde and Ooijer have hardly been success stories. Then there are absolute flops like Kromkamp (who looked even more out of place than Boula, if that’s possible), Kluivert (though he’s been flitting from club to club in recent years without doing much, so it probably had very little to do with the Premiership). Even Gio was far more at home in La Liga. What I would say is that the most common attribute of those who have failed in the Premiership seems to be a lack of pace, and Huntelaar has pace in abundance.
As for Saviola, his performances have been no worse than Robinho’s or Higuaín’s, so I wouldn’t be so sure that he’s going out of the door. In fact, he’s put in a couple of good stints and saved them last week.
Do Liverpool really ‘need’ Huntelaar? What they need really is some consistency and for Torres to play week-in week-out. At the same time, Kuyt has more goals in him I am sure, and Crouch can be relied upon to score.
A - you wrote: “Juventus, while looking a good destination, wont get him. Firstly, they wont do so well this year that they will have enough money to go around splashing the cash just yet. Secondly there is no way Huntelaar will get picked ahead of Iaquinta Trez or Del Piero. Personally i think Juve will buy someone tried and tested from the Serie A, Huntelaar doesnt fit the bill. Plus Man Utd are the better choice of the 2″
When have Juventus ever suffered from such a lack of money? If they want him, they will be able to pay the fee, and they are a hard club to say no to, with so much history and prestige. And I’d be pretty surprised not to see Juventus in the Champions League next season - despite what crappy journalists assert, the squad is looking pretty healthy and the club is being well managed by Ranieri. As for the punishment - whether or not it was fair, it was handed out and we should be commending the effort of the manager (Deschamps) and the players to do so resoundingly well in Serie B last season.
Hugo, i didnt mean that they cant get him, what i meant was i dont think they will go for him. Juve suffered some serious financial loses when they got demoted to Serie B. I dont have the stats but im sure the income from TV revenue and gate receipts would be substantially less. So while they have been big spenders in the past, i dont see them spending too much on an untested kid. I think they will come mid-table this season, i might be wrong but thats what i think. I think they will go for a tried and tested new striker, if they even go for one, so thats why i dont see him going to Juve.
Andrei
You do not look such a good predictor about the future of Huntelar. You had to put Juventus in pole position because when they want to get a player, there are a million ways to get it, in absolutely legal way. You need to have greater diapason about football clubs!
Kind Regards!
Real Madrid will obviously buy him. They buy almost every player that has a good season and that they usually don’t need.
I was advocating for Man U to pick up Huntelaar in August and I still think they need him. Rooney and Tevez are ineffective together and too similar in playing style. Arsenal would be a good destination for him, but please, please Liverpool, don’t sign him. We football fans don’t need to see another world class player enduring Rafa’s rotations.
Having never seen him play myself, can I request somebody to detail upon what kind of the striker exactly he is ? what are his attributes and what are his weaknesses ?? Any replies would be highly appreciated.
Manchester United. No doubt. We at OT will be waiting for your arrival! ^^
I’m not sure if you meant to, but you seem to be implying that Kuyt/Huntelaar would be better than Torres/Huntelaar. Surely you’re joking. And someone called Kuyt Mr. Consistency! Have you seen how he’s been playing?!!
Anyway, I’ve never seen Huntelaar, so I don’t really know much about him, but if he’s as lethal a finisher as his numbers suggest, he’d be a great add for Liverpool. Torres is spectacular at creating chances but not quite so spectacular at finishing them off.
That said, it looks like he’ll be at Old Trafford next year to me.
NB he is awesome with both feet, a massive plus.
Sam, I agree Kuyt has not had the best of seasons so far, but you cannot play Torres and Huntelaar in a two man strike force, it would be like playing Tevez and Rooney (d’oh!!) or van Nisterlooy and Owen. The two would not complement each other and they would struggle for goals. As far a Kuyt goes, he is a great support striker and needs to play with Torres taher than Voronin.
Sometimes you have to go for the tactical match in a team, rather than raw talent. exapmle: ‘los galacticos’ (real madrid with zidane, figo, ronaldo, raul, etc.)
As a Man Utd fan, I am hoping that he will come to Old Trafford next summer (or maybe even this winter!). Although Tevez and Rooney have played very little together so far because of Rooney’s injury, I just can’t see these two playing together up front. They are just too similar (and I know people will argue with this..). Man Utd need that striker like Saha and I think that Huntelaar is perfect for this position as Saha is not getting any younger and has his little history of injury problems. Plus, I agree with Frankie on his point about Fergie not signing another striker before the summer transfer period ended; there had to be a good reason because it definitely hurt us having Rooney and Saha out. Manchester are definitely going to need a new central striker for the future, and Klass-Jan is probably the best choice out there right now.
I don’t think he wants to go to United to play fourth choice Striker, I could see him playing for Arsenal or in Italy
True he would have competition for a position at Manchester, but Arsenal also have a strong strike force already in Adebayor, van Persie, and Eduardo.
If Huntelaar does come he will be second choice striker alongside Saha (who might as well leave, i’ll give more details on this later). The other two, (Rooney and Tevez) will compete for the support srtiker role.
“an easy punishment in my opinion” - if I ask you to show me one single CLEAR evidence that Juve deserved that for “fixing” matches…you couldn’t do that do you ? even now after 1 year it’s not clear who was behind this shit…what it’s obvious in my opinion is that only Juve got a punishement so hard..the others ( and be sure there were others ) escaped very easy..
“when they were fixing games” - wow ! you’re so sure of what you’re saying ! incredible news…but I believe in this day it’s pretty easy to get a bad influence…
“good enough to challenge for a UEFA Cup spot next year” - my god ! I can understand that you are a premier league ( man united ? ) fan..but in this manner ? you don’t know what you’re talking about..it’s true..Juve don’t have the force to be the first ( it would be an insane only to thing about it )..but for a CL spot the team it’s good enough all day…a ! if you don’t want to..well..that’s another problem…
“for the ageing Del Piero and Trezeguet” - ok maybe Del Piero it’s a little bit slower this days..but Trezeguet for another 3 years will be a deadly striker..oh by the way ! I woudln’t give any of them for your precious saha or sooney..in fact even if saha would be free..FREE ! he didn’t prove anything until now..so better look in you courtyard…because that’s where the problems are..
And right now Juve don’t need Huntelaar..well maybe in the summer if he’s cheap..let’s say it would be an ok deal…
alex…
i think saha, despite being injury prone is a player that has an outstanding ability to open games up with his precoious speed and his ability to finish not only on the floor but also in the air. Free…yea i dont think so.
just look at what juve are saying atm. del piero isnt a necessary addition next year, wanted but not necessary. he would be a free transfer then.
there are only a few clubs in europe who i think couldnt use a player as versatile and as talented as huntelaar. clubs like barca, liverpool, inter etc. clubs that already have copious amounts of strikers and finishers. these are the clubs that have a player in the mould of huntelaar. i really hope that SAF goes out to purchase this player, his partnership with Tevez/Rooney with Nani and ronaldo delivering in balls and saha coming on as supersub. aka ole. is mouthwatering…
and just on the italian fiasco. your right the others did get away to easy. but juve deserevd more. the joke that allowed ac to contet in last years cl is a dark stain on football.
dont undersatnd how all you idiots are lambasting the
derogatory juve comments. The team should have been put in seria B (along with AC) for 5 yrs minimum. these thilthy slimey italionos think they can do as they please with their mafia style actions! Personally i think its a joke. FUCK JUVE. As a true United fan im prayin every day we sign the boy “Klass” as he is exactly that. A true number 9 is clearly what United are screamin out for! When fit i reckn Saha is one of the most effective around but as some1 mentioned above he aint the youngest. You take him out the United equation n were left real short on strikers.
“an easy punishment in my opinion” - no I could not, but the way they got away from facing 3rd division plus a massive point deduction to the second division with a modest point deduction suggests that indeed they were guilty and then bribed some more… as fro Milan I am sure; the other team, the one that was supposed to finish 4th and play in the Champions League could not becasue it “did not meet minimum stadium requirements.” Then AC MIilan came and took over that spot. It is an amazing fact that you can agree with your association to play at another stadium in the Champions League, like Lille did, but no, not the Italians, they needed AC Milan there.
“good enough to challenge for a UEFA Cup spot next year” - admitted, they had a good start to the current season, but having sen a good chunk of the Torino derby, one would wonder if they have the quality to keep that form for some time to come. Yes with Milan, Inter (the champions this year too), Roma (yes I am a Man Utd fan) and Lazio, Juventus are going to have a hard time to prove me wrong.
ageing Trezeguet - he is 30 now, so he has a couple more years in him, but nevertheless he is getting old and they need to start thinking about replacing him. If they are smart they will buy a player which would serve as an ‘apprentice’ to Trezeguet so later he could take over the spot easily (a bit like what Man Utd are doing with Nani)
@redsnake: I didn’t said something about man utd like you said about Juve..but I bet you don’t have more than 16-17 years..so I’ll pass..if you are older than you have a serious problem..go get some rest !
@Andrei: It’s good that we can keep the discussion calm and serious..I was a little angry of how you put the problem when it came about italian clubs ( I’m not from Italy )..especially about Juve..but I maintain my opinions: Juve were too harshly punished, they can and will finish the championship on 1-4 place, and right now the attack it’s good how it is, we will see in the summer. Ciao!
mate, 1st of all quit the pigeon English PLEASE…! And as for gettin rest- im just out of an operation so iv got that one covered! HAHA and neways i dont recall directing my comment at you in particular (was merely a general observation)…
(I’m responding to numerous comments about Juve, and how I think they’ll do). Huntlaar could be going to Juve. Del Piero could be leaving after contract negotiations stalled again.
Juve weren’t really harshly punished, its that no other team was relegated was what was unfair. They got points back during the season as well.
And they will definitely finish in the top 4, without doubt.
I can’t see Huntlaar going to Man Utd, not now anyway. Its a bit early to be saying who he will be going to.
Chelsea should be tops of the list. They have the money and the lack of any kind of depth up top to make Huntelaar one of the stating strikers right away. We need him at the Bridge.
Neazzuri, the transfer will most likely be made in the summer so anything we say now is just long-term speculation and you are right it is really early to come to a ‘conclusion’. (Looks like Mancini made me eat my words with that performance against Roma, eh?)
One last thing - I’m sorry if the blatant attacks on Juventus were offensive. I have no excuse.
I think Utd will get him - but am not sure if he is what we need
@redsnake: “pigeon English”..what do you mean ?
I AM directing my comment to you in particular ok ?
1- “but I believe in this day it’s pretty easy to get a bad influence”
2- “what it’s obvious in my opinion is that only Juve got a punishement so hard..
3-”I bet you don’t have more than 16-17 years..
……Pigeon English Alex, its a colloquial term for ‘broken English’- you know…bad grammar….poor word selection ETC ETC. I think its time u paid more attention to your ‘teach yourself English’ tapes mate coz u dont make great sence! YA MUG.
1- “but I believe in this day it’s pretty easy to get a bad influence”
2- “what it’s obvious in my opinion is that only Juve got a punishement so hard..”
3-”I bet you don’t have more than 16-17 years..”
……Pigeon English Alex, its a colloquial term for ‘broken English’- you know…bad grammar….poor word selection ETC ETC. I think its time u paid more attention to your ‘teach yourself English’ tapes mate coz u dont make great sence! YA MUG.
@ 29 Andrei:
You are wrong on four accounts:
1. Drogba is not “little.”
2. Kalou couldn’t hit the goal if it hit him in the boot (watch Chelsea matches and you know this.)
3. Great chance that Drogba will be sold this summer.
4. Chelsea have no depth at striker right now.
ok..maybe I am doing some grammar mistakes..after all I’m not a native english speaker..but those mistakes are not so big that you can’t understand what i wanted to say didn’t you ??
anyway we were talking something else..so my guess it’s that you’re hiding behind those sentences..anyway..be happy were you are..with your english…and you’re man utd..CIAO ! ( I believe you understand this !..pigeon.. )
directed towards Alex -
redsnake has every right to say that about juve, they were cheats and deserve more than what they got so stop tryin to defend their asses.
oh and by the way, im not a manu fan, i actually really dislike them
If you want to see Huntelaar, look at You Tube: Huntelaar-Bicycle Kick King. He is brilliant in making spectacular bicycle kicks; effective in headers and a killer in the 16. He is a true number 9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQbNneMKzsU
Man utd will get him