B/R Gossip Roundup: Gareth Bale Move Unlikely, Di Maria Struggling to Adapt
Another Sunday means a fresh batch of world football gossip here at B/R.
On the menu for you this week are transfer rumours, gossip, speculation and more. Is Angel Di Maria struggling to adapt to life at Manchester United? Are the Red Devils after Victor Valdes? And would Real Madrid really let Gareth Bale go so soon after breaking the bank to sign him?
Keep reading for a breakdown of the week's biggest rumours.
No Shame If Angel Di Maria Is Struggling to Adapt to Life in Manchester
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After facing criticism about his recent performances for Manchester United, Angel Di Maria has faced accusations this week that he is already unhappy and unsettled in the north west of England.
As Metro reported on Monday:
"Despite hitting the ground running with some impressive performances for his new team, the 26-year-old has been linked with a move back to Real recently—with United legend Paul Scholes saying he thinks the Argentine is not happy in England.
However, Di Maria’s wife Jorgelina Cardoso has now moved to dispel such reports after she used her Instagram account to confirm that her husband is loving life in the Premier League.
She wrote on Sunday: ‘You are free to think whatever you want, but in fact, Angel is absolutely happy of being in Manchester United... Buenas noches!!!’
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It seems to have become something of a time to pile pressure on Di Maria, with Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti sticking the boot in slightly when he revealed why the club had sold the Argentine in the summer to make way for James Rodriguez.
"[James] and Di Maria are very different players," Ancelotti explained (per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan). "Di Maria could break games with his energy, but also sometimes he lost control—he lost the ball in important moments."
That came days after his current manager, Louis van Gaal, had also been slightly critical. After the win over Crystal Palace, Van Gaal said (per the Mirror's David McDonnell):
"Sometimes you cannot dribble, so you have to make it a passing game, and Di Maria is not a player who wants to give a pass every time he gets the ball. But in this case we needed that and not dribbles. Therefore he lost the ball a lot and that was not good for the balance of the team.
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All in all, you can almost forgive Di Maria for being a bit unhappy.
Believability Meter: High
After spending his career in Argentina, Portugal and Spain, it would almost be more bizarre if Di Maria and his family didn't go through some adjustment pains by moving to England—a country with a different culture, norms and, perhaps most importantly, climate.
Couple that with the adjustment to a new role on the pitch, one in which he is already expected to be the team's saviour, and it would be more than forgivable if Di Maria was taking his time to come to terms with it all.
Players as good and more well travelled than he is have taken a season or more to fully adjust to the demands of England and the Premier League. His family may feel the need to pretend that he is fine to shoo away the negative headlines, but would it really be a cause for concern if he was struggling a little bit?
Pep Guardiola Foolish to Close Door Completely on Barcelona Return
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Recently, Bayern Munich Pep Guardiola stated that he could never see himself returning to Barcelona as manager.
In an interview with the magazine Ara, he said (via Marca), "There are cycles in life and mine in Barcelona is finished."
Guardiola, who played for the club's first team for 11 years before coaching them for four more from 2008 to 2012, has long been synonymous with the Catalan club. Accordingly, it is hardly a surprise that people are interested to hear his thoughts on possibly returning one day.
The Spaniard is now in his second year at Bayern Munich, his second high-profile appointment as a manager. At 43, however, it seems too early to talk about never returning to one club and never managing another.
The club, for what it is worth, would presumably love to have him back.
"The doors will be open for him for life," former president Sandro Rosell said (via Goal.com) in 2013. "[He was] by far the best coach in the history of the club."
That is likely to be a sentiment shared by any club president, now and in the future—if only because of how politically popular such an appointment would be.
Believability Meter: Low
Guardiola's long-term coaching path seems to have been agreed upon by the wider footballing media, to a greater extent than perhaps any other high-profile coach in the game. Most expect Guardiola to spend two or three more seasons at Bayern Munich (his contract expires in 2016, though an extension seems possible) before trying his hand at coaching in the Premier League.
Guardiola has previously stated his belief that players only respond to a manager, particularly one as demonstrative as he, for a three- to four-year cycle, something that explains his Barcelona departure.
Hypothetically, if he stays in England for four seasons once his current Bayern contract expires, that would only take him up to the summer of 2020—when he will be approaching 50. What exactly is he going to do after that? Coach in Italy? Give up coaching entirely? Or return to Spain, to a Barcelona side under a new board? A season can be a long time in football; a career is almost an eternity. Guardiola should rule nothing out.
Man Utd Signing Victor Valdes Would Only Make Sense If David de Gea Was Off
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Former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has been training with Manchester United for almost a month now, with speculation increasing that the free agent will soon sign a contract at Old Trafford.
Not only that, but apparently the one-time Spain international will replace a current Roja international as United's No. 1.
Writing in The Independent, Simon Rice reported:
"Manchester United have brought Victor Valdes to the club with a view to the veteran replacing David de Gea, according to reports.
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"The former Barcelona goalkeeper has been training with the Red Devils after taking up an offer from Louis van Gaal. The 32-year-old is a free agent having run down his contract at the Nou Camp but is yet to commit to a new club due to a serious knee injury suffered at the end of his time with Barcelona.
With Valdes returning to fitness, it's expected he will sign a contract with Manchester United, despite overtures from a number of the world's biggest sides, including Liverpool.
However, rather than back-up for current number one De Gea, reports in Spain suggest Valdes is being seen as his replacement.
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On the surface of it, this story would seem to make sense. Valdes, having left Barcelona in search of a new challenge, is hardly going to go to club to serve as an understudy—and De Gea is cemented as United's No. 1 for as long as he is at the club. If he were to leave in the summer, however, then Valdes would be a fine replacement to have already waiting.
What's more, De Gea's contract is due to expire in 2016, and it is unknown exactly how much he is enjoying life in Manchester. The chance to return to Spain, with a club like Real Madrid, would surely appeal to the 24-year-old. In a 2013 interview with the The Telegraph, De Gea claimed to be settled in Manchester, but that assertion could be sorely tested if an offer to return home is ever on the table.
Believability Meter: Medium
It is worth stressing that Victor Valdes has not yet signed for the club—and there has been no real indication that the Spaniard training with United is anything other than Van Gaal extending hospitality and friendship to one of his former players. The fact a deal has not been agreed already (Valdes is unattached, so he can sign and be registered by a club at any point) makes one wonder if United really intend to sign him.
But if they do end up agreeing upon a deal with Valdes, then it would be safe to assume that De Gea will be departing at some point. The deal would not make sense otherwise, for either the incoming player or a club that would be spending a lot of money on the wages of three senior goalkeepers if we include Anders Lindegaard.
Liverpool Would Be Wise to Fast Track Move for Divock Origi
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Liverpool are a side in a state of flux at the moment.
Large sums were spent on a raft of players in the summer, but Brendan Rodgers’ side are still missing Luis Suarez.
Mario Balotelli was brought in the add an attacking threat, but Suarez he is not. That was obvious to anyone prior to his arrival, so to blame the Italian for not matching the productivity of Suarez is wrong.
But Liverpool need goals. Daniel Sturridge's return from injury will certainly add some attacking pep to the Reds’ forward line, but he cannot carry the burden on his own.
Balotelli will almost certainly function better with Sturridge alongside him. The Italian has shown throughout his career that he is best served with a quicksilver attacking partner to play off, as opposed to being asked to plough a lone furrow.
Liverpool, though, need other options. One in the pipeline for January, per a report from the Daily Mail’s Dominic King, is Divock Origi.
Belgium international Origi is a Liverpool player, but the Reds farmed him back to his former club Lille for the season.
Had Liverpool been firing on all cylinders, there would be no question of him returning in January, which now looks like it could happen.
The player has suggested that he’d be happy to return to Anfield in January, but Liverpool would reportedly have to pay for the privilege of getting their player back.
As King states, there is no break clause in the season-long loan. Therefore, for Liverpool to get hold of Origi in January, they will have to provide Lille with a financial incentive to release him.
Believability Meter: High
Liverpool need fresh attacking impetus and have a ready-made option in Origi.
The Reds will to have pay to get him back, but he has looked extremely sharp in Ligue 1 this season. Bringing him back earlier than agreed could prove to be money well spent.
Big Teams Could Do a Lot Worse Than Winston Reid in January
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November is traditionally the time when clubs and their fans start panicking about the key players whose contracts are due to expire at the end of the campaign.
With such individuals able to talk to other (overseas) clubs about a free transfer from January, the prospect of losing a key player for nothing starts looming large the closer we get to Christmas.
One such player in that situation is West Ham defender Winston Reid, who is yet to commit his long-term future to the Hammers amid reported interest from Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.
According to The Times' Gary Jacob (subscription required):
"West Ham United United have given Winston Reid until the middle of January to sign a new contract or otherwise they will be forced to sell him.
The defender has been offered a new deal, worth £60,000 a week, but he will become a free agent this summer. Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal are among the clubs who believe that they could sign the 26-year-old for as little as £5 million in the January transfer window. West Ham have had no approach from another club.
His contract offer would make him the joint-second best paid player, alongside Kevin Nolan, at Upton Park behind Andy Carroll. West Ham are prepared to make that commitment but are concerned that they will need time to find a replacement, should they need to sell him before he can walk out for free.
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West Ham have started the season brightly, but losing Reid would still be a big blow. The New Zealand international has become a key part of the club's defensive unit since his arrival in the aftermath of the 2010 World Cup, and Sam Allardyce would surely love to keep hold of him.
Having said that, seeing Reid leave for nothing would be galling; the club would surely rather sell him for a reduced price than get nothing for him next summer.
Believability Meter: High
West Ham are not in the financial position to allow any of their valuable assets to leave for nothing, so unless their form dips considerably in the next few weeks and they slip into the relegation battle (something that looks unlikely), it would make sense for them to cash in on Reid if possible.
However, at 26, Reid would be under no obligation to agree to any potential January deal, with his agent doubtless making him aware that he could earn a far bigger salary if he was a free agent on the open market in the summer. That comes with its own risks—an injury could leave him with nothing—but that might well be the route he ends up going down.
Talk of a Move for Raphael Varane Does Not Stack Up
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If you impress Jose Mourinho, you must be doing something right. The Portuguese has long been an admirer of Real Madrid central defender Raphael Varane, a player he brought to the Spanish club and one he has lavished praise upon ever since.
As recently as last month, the Chelsea boss was speaking of his admiration for Varane amid speculation that Chelsea would try to sign the France international.
“Everyone says that he will go to Chelsea because they know that I really like him," Mourinho said at the time (per Metro). "However, everyone also knows that he will stay at Madrid."
However, Mourinho's desire might be closer to reaching fruition, after the latest reports surrounding Varane's future indicated the youngster could yet leave the Santiago Bernabeu.
According to the Daily Express, one of a number of papers to run similar stories on Thursday:
"The French international has found his first-team opportunities limited this term, with Sergio Ramos and Pepe both favoured in the heart of defence.
And today's reports in Spain suggest boss Carlo Ancelotti is open to a sale in the winter window, having handed the defender just three La Liga starts.
Premier League pair Chelsea and Manchester United were both linked with a move for Varane over the summer, and are now set to renew their interest in January.
Real are reportedly open to offers in the region of £19m.
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If true, £19 million would be a bargain for perhaps the most highly regarded young defender in world football.
Believability Meter: Low
Varane is one of the finest young centre-backs in the world—the fact he is already in the France defence ahead of so many fine candidates is a testament to his ability. Real Madrid would be foolish to let him depart when he still has his best footballing years ahead of him.
The only reason they might is because Sergio Ramos and Pepe are keeping him out of the first team at the moment and are likely to for a few years yet. The youngster could be forgiven for growing unhappy about his relative lack of playing time and the dim prospects of that improving until one of the two men in front of him moves on or is ousted.
Real should consider getting rid of one if that is the case, however, because Varane is simply that good. It is rare to have such a sure thing on your books, whichever club you are, and Real should not squander their good fortune.
Real Madrid Ready to Offload Gareth Bale?
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Chelsea are planning a bid for Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, according to a TuttoMercatoWeb report that Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express cited.
According to the report's reasoning, Chelsea have looked into Bale's availability because he does not fit into manager Carlo Ancelotti's formation. The report cites Isco's emergence as a "threat" to Bale's spot in the team.
Chapman also mentions that Manchester United have been linked with Bale in the past.
Believability Meter: Low
Although Bale has not played his absolute best since joining Real Madrid in a world-record deal in 2013, he has shown glimpses of his class.
After spending so much on him, Real will almost certainly hold onto Bale for the time being. As B/R's Allan Jiang reasoned, the Blancos gave Kaka four seasons to prove himself in a similar situation.
