Would an Angel Di Maria-Edinson Cavani Swap Deal Make Sense?
In world where one is purchased for £59.7 million, an inaugural 20-start, three-goal and 10-assist Premier League season can be deemed an unmitigated failure.
Angel Di Maria's Manchester United experiment has been tumultuous. Starting with three goals and four assists in his first six matches, the 27-year-old appeared worth his British-transfer-record fee, but after a flying opening act, Di Maria's star began to fade.
Ubiquitous injury and sporadic form saw the Argentinian attacking option unsurprisingly on Louis van Gaal's bench in the latter stages of the 2014/15 season.
Though Di Maria's technical ability is an unquestioned world-class trait—"the best ability is availability," one might utter in this particular instance—his United future is now muddled and shrouded in speculation.
ESPN FC—after compiling reports from England—suggest French champions Paris Saint-Germain (not for the first time) are keen on acquiring Di Maria, even documenting manager Laurent Blanc's alleged interest.
From the English papers, one of the more intriguing options for Di Maria's Old Trafford exodus would be a player swap, with forward/winger Edinson Cavani leaving Paris for Manchester. Richard Tanner of the Daily Express notes the Red Devils value Di Maria at £50 million and are considering the notion of trading him straight-up for Cavani.
One could circle the proverbial mountain of paper talk endlessly and be left without an answer to the Express' claims, but in a vacuum, would the swap deal benefit all parties?
In a pure footballing context, the answer is a resounding yes.
For Manchester United, while Van Gaal has done some great business this summer, games are not won with pounds, but with performances on the pitch. The Dutchman cannot guarantee his side will fare better with European obligations in 2015/16 than they did without in 2014/15, which could translate to his player's values decreasing were United to struggle.
Specifically with regard to Di Maria, bought for almost £60 million, another subpar season—by his standards—would be devastating. Of course, the club and player should bet on themselves to succeed in 2015/16, but nothing is certain in contemporary football, hence PSG having a player they need (a top-tier striker, after losing Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie) must be seriously examined.
Furthermore, Di Maria will have bigger competition for places in United's 2015/16 squad, provided Memphis Depay, Juan Mata, Ashley Young and/or Adnan Januzaj are permanent first-team wing options. Already benched last season (and frequently played out of position) PSG appear a better match for the 27-year-old's specific footballing qualities.
Conversely, Cavani has been consistently placed in every position but his preferred "No. 9" at the Parc des Princes, thanks to Blanc's tactics and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swedish behemoth is PSG's first-choice centre-forward, making the only open attacking role on the wing—this situation has been a chronic course of consternation for the Parisians.
With only Wayne Rooney and James Wilson as out-and-out strikers (and Rooney might dispute this claim), Van Gaal is in desperate need of a world-class striker, and the 28-year-old Uruguayan perfectly corrects United's deficiency.
PSG would receive a natural winger, who was more than comfortable at Benfica, Real Madrid and his native Argentina playing in wide areas, and would not feel wasted running the touchline in Blanc's 4-3-3.
Despite this potential catch-all solution, the three-time-defending French champions, via the Telegraph's Jason Burt: "Will not sell Cavani to Manchester United as part of any deal [involving Di Maria]."
Were Paris Saint-Germain still under UEFA's financial fair play regulations, their stance might have been different—as both teams would receive solutions to problem areas without spending a pound—but with their sanctions removed, PSG have money to spend and prefer two world-class footballers over one.
Not just in football, but in general society, it becomes annoying when common-sense solutions seem the most difficult transactions to accomplish.
Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Di Maria and Cavani all stand to profit from a swap deal, but every party has political obligations (Di Maria bought for £59.7 million last summer and Cavani bought for £55 million in 2013), that makes following simple logic far more complicated than it should.
Does the proposed swap deal make sense? Yes.
Should the deal happen? Probably.
Will it happen? Probably not.
The regrettable way of the world.
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.
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