Arjen Robben Is the Player Who Could Fire Manchester United to the Title

It is that time of year when the Christmas decorations and trees start to go up, and dreams of Yuletide and song fill the cold, frosty air. And all of this holiday cheer indicates that the January transfer window is only but weeks away, allowing Premier League managers to look for a wild-card purchase.

Louis van Gaal might find the thought of working over the festive period as problematic, but he will be secretly sat at home, stoking the fire in his Cheshire mansion, absolutely delighted to be sat in the Champions League qualification positions.

And all of this with a squad which is bruised and battered—having to play multiple teenagers in defence and win points with a team of players not yet fully accustomed to his philosophy, or each other. 

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United supremo Ed Woodward has already publicly stated that there is a "low probability" the Old Trafford club will be spending a fortune on proverbial late-Christmas gifts for LvG's team, per Rob Dawson of The Manchester Evening News. However, do we really believe the board are going to risk missing out on the coveted top positions again—as they did during David Moyes' tenure?

The next two transfer windows will define Van Gaal's reign in the north-west of England.

Jamie Jackson of The Guardian wrote on Thursday that United will once again push the boat out in the transfer marketplace—with a £40 million summer move for Arjen Robben being mooted.

Jackson also commented on the club structure that United wish to pursue, saying:

"

Real Madrid [are] being viewed as the model for a strategy to recruit an elite player for every position in Louis van Gaal’s squad.

The manager has been told he does not have to work to a particular budget as the club is prepared to sanction a world record transfer bid in line with the policy of last summer, according to senior figures.

"

Of course, Robben would be somewhat of a dream signing for the Red Devils, and many fans will feel he is unobtainable. 

But if Woodward wants to assemble a team of Galacticos, as the signings of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao point towards, then capturing Robben suddenly does not seem impossible.

LvG also has a great relationship with the player, with Robben being his vice-captain in his international regime for the Netherlands.

Van Gaal's default system during his coaching career has been 4-3-3 and it is the formation he works with best. The 5-3-2 he used at the World Cup was forced upon him due to the lack of Kevin Strootman, and he continued with the tactic during United's pre-season for exactly the same reason—midfield deficiencies.

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But the other glaring reason why LvG has shied away from his favoured formation is his lack of true quality in the wider attacking areas.

Yes, the team has Adnan Januzaj, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and the aforementioned ADM, but as a foursome there are obvious issues in terms of balance.

Januzaj is still young and has much to learn. Di Maria has shown he is far less effective in the English game as a winger than he is in a deeper midfield role. And Young and Valencia should be squad players, and nothing else.

Robben will allow his manager off the leash and give him the licence to play the type of football that has won him many trophies through his career.

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It is also worth highlighting that the Bayern Munich ace also has accumulated three years of Premier League experience and has won the competition twice. Most of the top players in the world cannot boast this. It is a massive plus-point in terms of recruitment. 

The key to success for a Manchester United-Van Gaal 4-3-3 is a hard-working midfield that can get up and down the pitch without negating flair and quality, with two forwards who can play the wide attacking channels while supporting a primary striker.

Just by adding Robben to the existing personnel—give or take a player, here or there—could the current set of players win the Premier League?

Of course they could. 

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United has seen Robin van Persie drift off to the right side of the attack in matches this season and it has certainly hurt his natural game and goalscoring stats. Van Gaal needs to find a natural right-sided attacker, rather than an out-and-out winger, to give his team the true potency that he desires.

Robben and Wayne Rooney would be perfect, in tandem with Radamel Falcao. But you could add in an RvP here, or a James Wilson there. You could push Di Maria forward and let Rooney drop in, or you could allow Ander Herrera or Marouane Fellaini to break forward as Michael Carrick or Daley Blind sits. 

The options for Van Gaal would be endless—if he can get the squad fully fit simultaneously. 

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The price of £40 million is no longer huge in the context of success, especially for a team like United who finished seventh in the league just a few months ago. History tells us that you can dominate for decades only to drift away to the also-rans—just as Liverpool did after their last league championship success in 1990.

Robben would get United back in the mix with Chelsea and Manchester City, and more importantly for Van Gaal he would do it immediately. At 30 years old, Robben may seem "old" to many supporters but if he does a job for three or four seasons, LvG will be pleased.

The Dutch coach may himself only be at United for that period, so he needs winners in his squad, and he needs them now. Building for the future is not something LvG will be judged on at the end of his contract. His mandate remains very much in the present and success must come soon.