Aymeric Laporte Signing Would Point Manchester United in the Right Direction
Aymeric Laporte, the 20-year-old Athletic Bilbao centre-back, could reportedly be on his way to Manchester United this January, and this move would point manager Louis van Gaal's side back in the right direction.
The Daily Star's Jack Wilson claims, "Van Gaal sees Laporte as a shrewd investment for the future" and quotes a £25 million projected fee.
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Following this, Metro's Jamie Sanderson suggests that Laporte was "packing up bags" ahead of his move to the Old Trafford club.
While this is fairly tentative speculation, the signing of Laporte should be in Manchester United's ambitions, as the Bilbao man is a player to be built around.
This January, Van Gaal must address his side's disjointed performances and chaotic transfer strategy by making the long-term signing of Laporte a priority.
Manchester United's Problems
With United's 1-0 loss at home to Southampton on Sunday, a rather miserable statistic emerged comparing Van Gaal's reign at the club to this point with that of regularly derided former manager David Moyes at the same juncture.
Jamie Jackson of The Guardian reports that both managers "accrued 37 points after their first 21 Premier League games" and, in fact, "The Dutchman has won a match less."
However, while Van Gaal's side sit fourth in the Premier League, Moyes oversaw a seventh-place ranking at the 21-game mark.
Moyes was sacked after 31 league games, and although it is likely the popular Van Gaal will be offered a longer reprieve from adjudication, the manager has areas to address in the immediate future.
United's capitulation to Southampton on Sunday serves as the perfect crystallisation of the side's issues under Van Gaal this season.
A confused formation, with Daley Blind as left centre-back, Wayne Rooney in central midfield and Angel Di Maria as an auxiliary centre-forward, allowed Southampton's fluid system to overrun a hapless United side.
Van Gaal is a manager who, at this important juncture, still doesn't have a handle on his side's most effective tactical layout.
Naturally, with United very much a club expecting success—due to their phenomenal history—their recent struggles will be attributed to their transfer business in the summer and, rightly, these issues can be aligned with the failure to address key areas.
The standout area, naturally, is at centre-back.
As mentioned, with Blind utilised on the left-hand side of a three-man defence on Sunday, this highlights a lack of specialist personnel in the area—at least, players Van Gaal truly trusts.
His defensive partners that afternoon were Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, both players who have struggled for form and fitness this season.
Youth players Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair occupied the bench, but their current quality was little to call upon on this occasion.
With this is mind, a centre-back should be signed in January, and Laporte stands as one of European football's most promising options in that area.
Aymeric Laporte
A strong, physical centre-back, Laporte is the perfect option to marshall Bilbao's aggressive defensive line.
With an average of 2.4 tackles per La Liga game this season, Laporte is more prolific in this sense than both Jones (2.1) and Smalling (1.2).
Able to operate as a left-back as well as at centre-back, Laporte's talents would lend themselves adeptly to the left-hand side of Van Gaal's three-man back line as well as its heart. This, too, would allow Blind to operate in his natural midfield role.
Furthermore, last season, Bleacher Report's Christopher Atkins described Laporte as "not the quickest defender, but he reads the game well," alluding to his ability to intercept situations with intelligence.
Laporte has made the second-most interceptions per game on average this La Liga season with 3.9, and the 20-year-old seemingly prefers to address a problem before it comes to a head.
In this sense, Laporte is a similar prospect to former United man Rio Ferdinand.
Under ex-Bilbao manager Marcelo Bielsa, Laporte proved himself capable of thriving in a demanding, high-pressure system.
The Guardian's Sid Lowe outlined Bielsa's impact on Bilbao as having "altered Athletic's historic identity as the most 'English' of teams, teaching them in the words of one insider 'not to be afraid of the ball any more'."
As mercilessly stringent and demanding as Van Gaal, Bielsa's upbringing will have primed Laporte for a move to United. As Bleacher Report's Andrew Gibney relays, the now-Marseille manager was the fiercest advocate of his powers:
As is evident, Laporte would not shrink at the demands that a move to Old Trafford would impose. Instead the centre-back would likely slot in fairly swiftly.
The French Defensive Revolution
In Kurt Zouma, Mamadou Sakho and Eliaquim Mangala, the Premier League has seen an influx of highly talented, high-potential, young, French centre-backs over the past two seasons.
At Chelsea, Zouma's development is taking a steady trajectory—with just four league appearances to his name—but an impressive showing alongside John Terry in the Blues' 2-0 weekend victory over Newcastle United highlighted his prodigious talents.
Sakho's time at Liverpool has been hampered by inconsistent team selection, but a run in the first team of late has underlined his status as the side's best as well as most perceptive defender.
City's acquisition of Mangala shocked many, due to his £32 million transfer fee, but despite a rocky start, he has shown great signs of promise in a Citizens shirt already this season.
While it is clear that these players need time to develop to the demands of Premier League football, the mine of exceptional defensive talent in the French pool is vast and profitable.
United must follow suit and add Laporte to their ranks. This is a generation of players that must not be missed out on.
As evidenced by his impressive showings for Athletic Bilbao this season and his obvious potential for great development, as well as the precedent set by his compatriots in the league, Laporte would be an astute signing by Manchester United and could help solve Louis van Gaal's problems.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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