Why an Angel Di Maria-Bastian Schweinsteiger Swap Deal Would Be Win-Win for All

Sometimes in football it takes a bold decision to turn a team around and move them on to the next level. A leap of faith in to the unknown may be a dangerous plan, but it can also play out well if done at the right time. 

Such a situation may well be about to happen in southern Germany, where Bayern Munich could well be mulling over some kind of transfer that involves bringing Manchester United star Angel Di Maria to the Allianz Arena—a deal that may well mean favoured son of the club Bastian Schweinsteiger is heading the opposite way. 

According to the Daily Star's Alex Harris, the Premier League side are interested in snatching the signature of the German international and considering the continued speculation linking the Bundesliga club with Di Maria, a swap deal of sorts may simply make sense. But would both these players moving across the channel be a win-win for everyone involved?

On Bayern's end, such a deal makes perfect sense. At least on paper. 

A number of factors played their part in the downfall of Bayern's treble hopes last season, but much of the club's torturous European campaign was down to the fact that Arjen Robben picked up an injury in March and missed each and every game after the last-16 showdown with Shakhtar Donetsk. 

Although the absence of one player is never really an excuse for any side—let alone one as plentiful with resources as Bayern—the simple fact of the matter is that for much of the 2014/15 season, the Dutch winger carried Pep Guardiola's side and was their star player in the big games.

This in itself only came to pass because the Bavarian club's other star winger, Franck Ribery, was already out injured form the start of the season. Where Bayern used to rely on outstanding talent on both wings, they were downgraded to just one, and then ultimately none, by the end of last season's campaign.

This is what cost the German champions any real hope of competing for last season's Champions League and exactly what Guardiola will have to avoid if he wants to pick up a European Cup for the Munich side on his third attempt. Which is exactly why he needs a player of Di Maria's talent to bolster the all-important wing positions and help get Bayern back up and fighting against the best in Europe once again.

In no surprising fashion, such a deal would, of course, offer the exact same thing to Man Utd, as they would hopefully be acquiring a central midfielder that could finally turn Louis Van Gaal's smorgasbord of talent into a functional football team. 

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Every man and his dog is well aware of United's need for a central midfielder, with little more than Daley Blind (a full-back by trade), Marouane Fellaini (a No. 10 by trade) and Ander Herrera to partner Michael Carrick in the centre of the park. 

In a rare move away from the club's odd transfer policy of late—which has essentially consisted of buying players based on reputation rather than functionality—Schweinsteiger would settle in to that United team and begin to improve it almost immediately. 

What the Bayern midfielder brings is a box-to-box tenacity akin to Fellaini without the careless wandering out of position and random bursts of petulance. Add to that an exceptional range of passing and the odd slide tackle, and the Premier League side would finally have the central midfielder that they so desperately need. 

At 30 years of age, Schweinsteiger would, of course, be a stopgap in the grander scheme of things, but one that could turn Van Gaal's side from a top-four contender to a title challenger within a matter of months. And in the quick-paced, results-driven world that football has become, that's all that really matters to the board members at Old Trafford. 

A final, minor point certainly worth adding is that both clubs may well be willing to part with said players. It would initially seem like sacrilege to consider Schweinsteiger ever leaving Bayern but cashing in on the 30-year-old and pushing through Thiago Alcantara, Sebastian Rode or even Gianluca Gaudino may be exactly what the German club need. 

Similarly, Di Maria's first season in Manchester was far from a conclusive success but there's also the small fact the club have much higher priorities to deal with right now. Loosing one of their numerous attacking midfielders wouldn't be too much of a loss if it meant brining in a central midfielder of Schweinsteiger's quality. 

Of course, fans would undoubtedly be up in arms in Manchester and Munich in equal measure if both clubs agreed to trade one player for the other, but after taking a step back and a deep breath or two, some may come round to the idea.

United need Schweinsteiger just as much as Bayern need Di Maria, and as such a swap deal of sorts would certainly suit both parties. 

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