Nani will choose Manchester United over Tottenham (if he comes to the EPL)
Sky Sports carries a rumor from Friday claiming that Tottenham are in the race for Sporting Lisbon’s winger Nani. As rumors go, this one just made me laugh - there is no way Tottenham will be able to secure Nani unless Manchester United allow them to.
It is cruel, but unfortunately true. As long as Manchester United are linked with Nani and are looking for a successor to Ryan Giggs (as well as wing cover for Ronaldo), Nani will remain destined for Manchester United.
There are four reasons why I say this:
1) Manchester are a bigger draw than Tottenham
Do I need to justify this?
2) Nani has a good chance of cementing a first-team spot in Manchester United
With Giggs getting older the left-berth is now wide open. Richardson has yet to prove himself, Park is a utility player and coming back from an injury, Lee Martin is unproven plus he’s a right-winger, Fletcher is limited as a right winger, I hate to think what he’d do on the left, Evra is a potential candidate but that still leaves Manchester United short of a quality, proven natural winger who can play both flanks.
Even though Nani would be an excellent buy for Tottenham, he’ll have good opportunities at Manchester United, with the chance to play regular first-team football there.
3) Manchester United can pay more money
Rumors of Manchester United’s financial troubles are a joke. Manchester United have become more prudent in the transfer market, not cheap. They’ll put down the money to buy a player they believe they need, and they have the financial muscle to outdo Tottenham.
4) Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon have ’sporting’ links
No, I’m not talking about Ronaldo - I’m referring to the sporting links between the two clubs that have existed for several years.
Verdict
I’m not going to pander to speculation and say that Manchester United have already talked to Nani’s agent or that they’ve agreed to bring in Nani next season - but I will say that based on the above four factors, if I had to predict, I’d say that Nani would move to Manchester United instead of Tottenham.
That is, if he’d come to the EPL next season.
[Source: Sky Sports]
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Discussion - 44 Responses
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I would agree with your first point but would dispute the rest of what you say.
Spurs are desperate for a left sided midfield player and he would have far greater opportunties of getting a ‘first choice’ first team spot. Also take into account that Spurs do not have the same in depth squad as United and therefore less competition.
Spurs are very financially sound and are well able to match United on this front. Will they? thats another question but clearly if they want to go that one step further, they are going to have to soon enough.
Your sporting links comment is highly irrelevant.
On balance I would agree with you that if United have the desire they would ultimately beat off Spurs at this time. However, I question whether their desire would be as great as Spurs and also I believe that they will have bigger fish to fry for the financial resources in the Summer.
Of course he would choose man u over Spurs, if this is trying to wind us Spurs fans up, it aint working.
Utd are a bigger club than us, they’re one of the biggest clubs in the world and if that was the only criterior a player used when choosing which club he’s going to then Dimitar Berbatov would currently be forming an awesome partnership with Rooney. Luckily for us smaller clubs it isn’t.
First up I’m guessing from the way you call the Premier League EPL you’re not from this country (American??), if you were you might realise what a hole Manchester is. Don’t underestimate what a deterrent this can be, nor what a lure London is.
Then there’s the effort you put into signing a player, the man you have doing the deals the approach you take to a transfer.
Then there’s the access to the first team, you need to see a clear route ahead of you. Nani plays the same game as Ronaldo, he’s right footed not left as is Giggs and so it’s his compatriot who stands in his way.
Of course a clubs prestige makes a difference and it’s ability to pay and I certainly wouldn’t want us paying the extreme wages you pay at Old Trafford, but this one is not as cut and dried as you seem to think.
London Guy, We are in need of a LW just as much as you are. I would agree you have a very rich chairman, so not going to suggest we would outbid you, just point to the fact he has one year left on his contract in the summer, so both will be ableto afford the fee. Obviously United are a more attractive proposition. Add to the fact he used to play with CR and CR wants to see him at oT so thats a big factor. And the Sporting link is highly relevant as we have first refusal on there players.
i would love to see him come to spurs. Giggsy has got at least another year or two in him, and Im not sure Utd will wantto spend this sort of money right now. If the reports are right in saying they will go for hargreaves, who will cost £20mill, i cant see them splashing anoother 13 on nani.
I think Nani will join MU more than Tottenham because he say he want to move abroad to a stronger club. I agree with the second point because as it say giggs is getting older and MU need a replacement for him.
Hi Peter. I dont think we disagree about too much. I am surprised to hear of your need for a LW given all the names that the article reeled off, but obviously you know United far better than I do. Its true what you say about having first refusal but the offers would have to be the same, which is why I say its largely irrelevant but we can agree to differ on that one.
BTW good luck in the cup and please please please do Chelsea for us! (assuming you both make the final)
1) Sporting links IS relevant if you consider what that means for the sort of access to the player Lisbon would provide to United, and if you factor in the fact that United would have used their connections at Lisbon to follow Nani’s progress for a long time.
Links between clubs - whether they are sporting links or links between owners or between managers - definitely matter.
2) About competition - once again, Park is a utility player, Richardson hasn’t proven himself, which means that if Queiroz and Ferguson think that Nani is a better prospect than them, he’ll be fast-tracked to Old Trafford.
3) Bigger fish - central midfielder, winger, striker. Hargreaves for 20m, striker purchase depends on Rossi’s progress, and we definitely need a winger to provide quality backup for Giggs and Ronaldo, which we don’t have. I assure you, the need for a winger is equal to the need for a striker and a midfielder.
Yiddo
Nope, I took special care to revise the headline and article content to remove anything that would seem inciteful.
Chal
Comparing Berba with Nani is mixing two very different cases. Tottenham chased Berba for a long time, just like United have been monitoring Nani for a long time. Like you said, the effort the club puts in makes a difference as well.
2) Being a United fan, I can assure you that I wouldn’t put my club’s future in the hands of the ‘backup’ we have for Ronaldo and Giggs.
3) Please do your research - Nani and Ronaldo (and Giggs, although only in his later years) can play on both wings. Nani is quite similar to Ronaldo, in fact.
4) Wages paid at Old Trafford may be extreme for you, but how is that relevant?
Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts
I would say one other thing, I was reading the article from Jan on this site about Spurs being the next WHU/Leeds. Well if you are as about right on Nani as you were about that article, than hs is already at WHL!
Ha Ha Ahmed, fickle us football fans arnt we! and shame on you mentioning Arsenal and Spurs in the same breath!
there are reports saying spurs have been following the player for a long time too. Dont count spurs out just because we are not a big a club as man utd!
London Guy,
the sporting links are actually very relevant as they include first option on all their players.. FACT..
Oh Ok Stephen, I didnt follow. So let United offer 1 Euro and thats its they have first refusal right? and the fact Spurs may bid 20m would make no difference. Smart deal you have there.
If he comes to England - he will join CHELSEA!!!
All portugese want to play for the special one and with Robben leaving this summer - he will get plenty of 1st team football.
Oh yeah - we can outbid the ManUSA and YidArmy in our sleep.
Dream on kids …
God bless Roman’s Blue Army
I thought the article was spot on. Why? Look at the table. Look at the history. Think Champions League football. Nani already plays CL football, Spurs don’t. And before Spurs fans get carried away, they should worry more about keeping Berbatov and Lennon than getting Nani…
What I would like to know is this. How good is Nani? Just because Ronaldo worked is no guarantee Nani will.
LondonGuy - valid point and True Blue, if that was true then surely next season Nani will join Real Madrid!
I think those talking of chelsea to Nani tranfer are jocking. When we talk about these two clubs(man u &spurs) its bcoz theyv made a scout on Nani but has chelsea done it? by the way remember abrom has stoped splashing a lot becoz of loss of millions in the past. So give us time to breath en we know the man is ours en get ready for defeats
Why can’t United make an offer for Robben instead?
LondonGuy
Petty argument to be fair.
First option when the two sides agree a fee as well as having to accept a bid from Utd for the same amount they have accepted a bid from another team.
Wow you might say, but considering we get ripped off for players this is a great deal for obvious reasons.
1 euro? You should go back to the playground you obviously came from with an argument like that.
Oh dear Stephen, I can see the point was totally lost on you, the “1 Euro Vs 20m” was an exaggeration to amplify my point, rather sad you could not see that but whatever.
The point I am making is that your so called “first refusal” is subject to your making an equal bid, hence my comments it is “largely” albiet not “totally”, irrelevant because it is not a cast iron gaurantee that you can simply buy at will, whatever Sporting Lisbon players may become available from time to time.
In this particular case, it may well be Spurs would be prepared to place a higher value on Nani that Man Utd would, not neccessarily becuase of available finance but because of conceived need versus true market value.
Hence I repeat, the “first refusal” is largely an irrelevant red herring.
Ahmed,
I thought about your comment “LondonGuy - it’s funny to see Arsenal and Tottenham unite over something - and it’s even funnier that it is to support United against Chelsea.”
I think the reason for this is that although Man U and Chelsea may have spent the same amount of money on players (although may be not, I dont have the figures and am willing to be corrected one way or the other). There is a difference.
Man U money has come from the considerable success both on and off the field over the years. In other words they have earned the money so they have earned the right to spend it! We cant really say that of Chelsea, they have little to no history to speak of and simply have had a windfall bestowed on them by a mysterious Russian Billionaire who is as likely to suddenly withdraw it as he was to give it in the first place!
Another difference is that the great players have come to Man U over the years because they wanted to play for Man U, those that at least first came to Chelsea came because of their respect for the money and not the club.
No, I am not a Man U lover, far from it but what is right, is right! I can and do respect Manu for the success they have earned for themselves, spending money they have earned for themselves. I have no respect for Chelsea who have simply bought success. And quite frankly over the three matches thus far between Spurs and Chelsea this season, there has been nothing to choose other than experience.
He could go to spurs if they offer him more money! look what happened to lucas neil. He put his own wallet before ambition! Also there is the london factor involved aswell dont forget ahmed, after all hemight not want to live in the shit hole that is manchester!
Also, before you spurs fans start getting too overexcited, you might wanr to worry about keeping hold your two best players- lennon and berbatov.
it wasn’t lost at all..
and as he has a buy out clause it’s all pretty pointless speculating abouut it anyway..
The player always decides where he goes… and he won’t pick spurs over Man United so i’m not going to lose any sleep over it.
My point was that it was useful in that they have to accept a bid from us at the same price as some other team is prepared to make as bids for players Man U want tend to skyrocket. By accepting a bid from another team they must also sell at the same price.. which in most cases would be lower
OK Stephen, it makes more sense but only in terms of it being a reasonable method of price control and in that respect a good bit of business. However, it is not a guarantee that you will sign the player for the reasons I have explained, hence my irrelevant comment.
As regards losing sleep, me neither, he is 20 and it would be exceptional if he came to England and made an immediate impact, yes, you will say Ronaldo did but that was/is exceptional. We need someone to come in and hit the ground running, to lift us that final leg. I would prefer to see someone with more experience and preferably from the Prem.
The problem for us right now is that attracting players like that is difficult because we are not in the Champions League but on the other hand it will be difficult for us to get there unless we can attract such players. A chicken and egg situation which is not working in our favour.
Now if for one moment you put your Man U bias to one side, dont you think it would be better for the Prem if it were not always the same four teams challenging?.
You said:
Now if for one moment you put your Man U bias to one side, dont you think it would be better for the Prem if it were not always the same four teams challenging?
And I ask, how?
The people watching the Prem are fans, and they all want their teams to win. The clubs outside the top four will keep complaining, but I bet Chelsea fans were making the same arguments as you are right now, but they are at the top and they would never want to sacrifice their own top four spot to allow a new team to come in so that the Prem is ‘better’ off.
Do tell though, how it makes the Prem better? More unpredictable? More ‘fair’?
American sporting leagues (save for Major League Baseball) have tried for years to effect a parity within their leagues in effort to make the games more exciting. To this end, they’ve instituted rigorous salary cap rules and penalties as well as making free agency (what are known commonly in Europe as “Bosman” transfers) the primary method of player shuffling between teams (putting the power of player transfers mostly in the players’ own hands).
The effect is definitely that the leagues are more unpredictable, “dynasties” (this may be an American phrasing too…?) don’t really exist anymore as nearly every team has some shot at winning the championship each year.
The downside is that it implies a watering-down effect, with no team being truly great, and while this is fine for a leagues that are self-contained, as American leagues are (no continental, inter-league competitions), it would be ruinous to England’s chances of ever putting a top side into the Champions League, for example.
While all the domestic leagues in Europe tend to be dominated every year by the same handful of teams, and while this creates a bit of predictability in the league, extra-league competitions like the CL offer the opportunity for these sides to really test their greatness. And not to mention that the tiered system of leagues in Europe, with the consequent annual promotion/relegation battles, provides drama at both ends of the table.
And in that respect, American sports have it wrong…the leagues are fixed, there’s no promotion into the Major Leagues for a high-performing Minor League baseball team, and so while parity gives everyone a chance a the title, by the end of the season no-one cares about the games at the bottom end of the table.
Man United should let us have him because we gave them Carrick:)
Lol interesting debate.
But seriously Ahmed where are you from? And y do u call it the epl and not the premiership?
sagar
I wrote EPL because it was ’shorter’ than saying Premiership or Premier League. I could have said Prem, I suppose, but for some odd reason EPL was stuck in my head.
I use Premier League / Premiership everywhere else on this site. You might want to look around.
It’s not really an issue for debate is it?. If Nani was asked who would you prefer to play with as a wing partner: Lennon or Ronaldo/Giggs. We all know what his answer would be……………….
Haha, everyones getting fired up aernt we? The very fact that Nani is playing for Portugal First team shows that he is good enough for any team, and UNited will be foolish not to sign him, which should be easy, considering that competition is from tottenham(who?)..
Bring in Nani, Roandlo and Nani, unbeatables!!!!
I seriously doubt that a player who plays regular in the Champions League would jump at the chance of warming the bench for a aging player and compatriot who is only a few years older then him.
Perhaps he is Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement, it is very likely that he will be playing for one of the two major Spanish teams. Who are both “Bigger” then Manchester united since that is what you are basing your “Nani” theory.
Anyone watch the Portugal v Belgium game at the weekend? Quaresma or Nani would do .. ;o)
Great game :o)
Redondo comparing two teams from two different countries is VERY much different to comparing from the same country. The Nani theory as you call it is not a theory, its a fact. The staunchest Tottenham fan will tell you United are bigger and that could be put down to number of trophies, quality of players, history of the club and amount of fans etc… As for Madrid, they are a SHADOW of the team they used to be nd very much in decline. 4 years of winning NOTHING is no better then a team like Tottenham. Cristiano Ronaldo knows this and there is NO chance he will want to leave united to go backwards by joining such a mediocre team like Madrid. Nani and Ronaldo can both play on both flanks, but I would prefer Quaresma anyway. Real madrid are no longer in Europe’s elite. when the CL draw comes everyone WANTS Madrid. If CR ever goes to Madrid, it will be at an age he hasn’t got too much to offer when his fee will still be extortionate. Look at Beckham, wasted his career at Madrid. RvN will follow in the same direction. NO player has a future once they leave OT.
They have a future, but maybe not a future at Real
And if you call a 250m contract no future, I have no idea what you’re smoking but I want some of that
To Peter: I find your comment very amussing because in Real Madrid’s 105 year history, they have never had a bad season like the one United had last year. Being knock out of the Champions League in the group stages and not even making it in the UEFA CUP.
But look at them this season, how things change. Who would have thought that they would be winning the League like this.
Again, not winning something in 4 years is possibly the longest drought in our Club history but we will manage as this is just a fase.
Redondo that isn’t actually true, man United had the longest standing record of reaching the knock out stages in consecutive years so that tells me Real have been knocked out at that stage. As for not making the UEFA Cup, what a relief! I much preferred not being in Europe at all then suffering the humiliation of playing in the Uefa Cup. Obviously forother clubs it isn’t the same, but ask Chelsea,Liverpool and Arsenal fans, I am sure they would rather have had no further European action then play in the Uefa Cup! We won a cup last year so surely Real Madrid’s last 4 years have been WORSE! Ahmed, I mean generally once you live United, in terms of football wise, your career will decline. Obviously Beckham has one hell of a contract but that has effectively ended his career as a competitve footballer IMO. Off the point have you noticed how since we sold RvN we are in one of our highest scoring seasons, while despite RvN’s goal exploits, Madrid are suffering one of their lowest. Coincidence? Redondo y main point was it was ridiculous to comapare Nani’s situation with Ronaldo’s. No one can say Tottenham are a bigger club then United and Madrid and United can both argue they are the greater club. One thing for sure, United are definetly a better club then Madrid at the moment which is the reason why Ronaldo will sign a new contract.
TrueBlue… He will get plenty of football if he joins Chelsea!?..
Duff, Wright-Philips, Robben, Kalou, Mikel would disagree.
Not unless Lampard, Ballack, Essien or Mak get injured.
[…] I said it the first time, Tottenham fans wouldn’t […]
nani wants to be with his friend Ronaldo at manchester, not go to big spanish teams in free-fall.
nani is on is way to man united. all the points above are valid. i dare to say that anyone who disagrees just started watching football yesterday.