World Transfer Rumours: Wesley Sneijder or Samir Nasri to Replace Paul Scholes?

With the summer signings of David De Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young, Manchester United have been one of Europe’s busiest clubs. Whatever your thoughts on those players’ merits, their key addition of the close season - a replacement for Paul Scholes – is proving somewhat more elusive. Over the past six months frenzied speculation about the main target has switched between three candidates, namely Arsenal’s Samir Nasri, Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder and Tottenham Hotspurs' Luka Modric.

With Spurs’ becoming increasingly resolute about holding onto their classy Croat, it now looks like a straight choice between Nasri and Sneijder.

So which of these targets has the right attributes to replace a player widely regarded as the most gifted English player of the last 15 years? The optimistic vacancy reads “Wanted: creative midfielder-cum play-maker. Must be blessed with sublime vision, peerless technique, a full range of passing and a rigorous work ethic. Goals galore - vicious drives from distance, perfectly executed volleys, neat headers, exquisitely chips - absolutely essential.”

Would either of these players be capable of scaling such peaks of footballing perfection? Let’s take a closer look at the favourites to take Scholes' place in the English Champions’ midfield...

Wesley Sneijder

The star of the Netherlands’ World Cup 2010 runners up and the creative spark behind Inter Milan’s 2010 Champions League winning side, Wesley Sneijder is the highest profile candidate. Sneijder progressed from the famed Ajax Academy and made his international debut in 2003, aged just 18 .

In 2007, after five seasons and over 100 appearances for the Amsterdam giants, he made a 27 million euro switch to Real Madrid.  Despite a promising first season, a combination of knee injuries and a loss of form stopped him from flourishing into a genuine “Galactico”.

In 2009 he joined Italian giants Inter Milan for 15 million euros. Under Jose Mourinho’s tutelage he quickly recaptured the form that had established him one of Europe's most promising midfielders. His raking long passes and powerful shot made him a favourite of the Nerrazzuri, who dubbed their new golden boy "The Sniper". Sneijder capped a memorable 2010 by leading his club side to a magnificent treble, before firing the Netherlands to the brink of World Cup success.

Strengths:

Sneijder is a vastly experienced, cultured play-maker who links midfield and attack, has a strong work ethic, great technique and is one of Europe’s foremost dead-ball specialists.

His performances in the World Cup suggest a flair for the big occasion.

His virtuoso displays against Chelsea in the 2010 Champions League Semi-Finals showcased an ability to calmly pinpoint a killer pass amid the frenetic tempo of a physical English midfield.

He is at his footballing peak.

Inter Milan need the cash for investments and will not hold on to an unhappy player, so he would be available – for a considerable fee.

Weaknesses:

The Glazers prefer to sign players with sell-on value, meaning his age might be an issue.

He is at his most effective just behind the forwards, which may affect the instrumental Wayne Rooney.

United need a goal-scoring midfielder and Sneijder's career record of roughly one goal per five games doesn't exactly count as prolific.

Samir Nasri

Samir Nasri is a current French international who made his debut for Olympique Marseille in 2004. At the end of the 2006/7 season he was named France’s Young Player of the Year and was also named in the FFF Team of the Year. Nasri moved to Arsenal in 2008 for a fee of 14 million euros and justified the considerable price-tag with a number of good performances. Despite his solid club form, he was not included in the France squad which failed so miserably in the 2010 World Cup. 

Nasri recovered from the disappointment of missing out on the global showpiece by enjoying his most influential and productive season for Arsenal. Though largely deployed as a winger, the occasional injury absences of Cesc Fabregas saw him revelling in the increased responsibility of a more advanced central role. Although his form petered out over the second half of the season, he was one of the Premier League’s form players until early January. He eventually finished the campaign with 15 goals from 39 starts – an excellent ratio for a midfielder.

Nasri is a technically-gifted footballer, who has good vision, awareness and superb dribbling skills. Managers on both sides of the English Channel have viewed him primarily as a winger, although he has also shone in his preferred central position. Nasri is good with both feet and has been compared favourably with fellow French-Algerian superstar Zinedine Zidane.

Strengths:

Nasri is technically outstanding, has great vision, pace and is strong with either foot.

Like scholes, he has excellent awareness.

He has a proven ability to score 15 - 20 goals per season, which takes the pressure off Rooney and Hernandez.

He has already adapted to the pace of English football, so the chance of him being a success are much improved.

He is hungry for success - a vital characteristic at Manchester United.

He only has one year on is current contract, so would be available for 20 to 25 million euros - a relatively modest fee for a player of his ability.

His defection from a close rival would be a powerful statement to United's challengers.

Weaknesses:

Can he sustain his form over a season? His previous best season saw him stall in the New Year.

Is the central berth his best position? United don't need another winger, as they already have Nani, Valencia, Young and Park.

Aside from last season, he's not a prolific goal scorer.

The Verdict

It is a measure of Paul Scholes' genius that it would take a unison of two of Europe's finest talents to create a player in his image. Wesley Sneijder has long been the fans' favourite, and his talents are undeniable. However, Sneijder performs best in Wayne Rooney's position, and Rooney's form is absolutely central to United's ambitions. The scouse superstar was convinced to suppress his natural game and play as a supporting act to Cristiano Ronaldo, and he would rightly bristle at the prospect of spending his best years in the wilderness of the left wing.

Samir Nasri is the younger of the two players, has a burning desire to achieve greatness and a Scholes-esque ability to find space in a crowded midfield. He is versatile, quick and exciting, representing a return to the irresistible Gallic flair of a certain Eric Cantona. He is happy in England, has adapted to the pace of the English game and, at 10 million euros less than Sneijder, would leave United with enough loose change to snare a promising young defensive midfielder. Not to mention the undeniable attraction of depriving a close rival of one of their crown jewels.

For these reasons, the sumptuous skills of Samir Nasri make him the close favourite to lead Manchester United to greatness over the coming seasons.