Where Would Manchester United Signing Gonzalo Higuain Leave Anthony Martial?
Despite the distraction of Euro 2016, this summer promises to be one of the busiest and most frantic on record with regard to Manchester United transfer rumours and links. Despite the fact there is no definitive idea of who will be in charge at Old Trafford come the start of the 2016-17 season, media outlets have wasted no time in linking star player after star player to the north-west.
The general consensus is that Jose Mourinho will be in charge, succeeding Louis van Gaal after what will, in all honesty, be remembered as two poor seasons at the helm. The goodwill the Dutchman earned by taking them back into the UEFA Champions League at the first time of asking evaporated the moment they exited in a weak group stage in December, and the bland style of football has steadily alienated even his most ardent supporters.
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Excitement can only be found by looking forward and projecting. The idea of Mourinho in the managerial dugout at Old Trafford is extremely divisive—for some he’s the ideal, proven winner David Moyes was not; for others he’s too short-termist and works against the club’s storied principles of youth development and longevity—but one thing is guaranteed: He’ll attract star power.
Reports this week indicate that not only is Mourinho set for the job, but that he’s also agreed a deal in principle to make Gonzalo Higuain his first signing. According to the Daily Star, among several other outlets, the Argentinian has agreed personal terms and is willing to make the move, provided United hash out a fee with Napoli.
Higuain has scored 27 Serie A goals in 29 appearances this season. He’s one goal shy of having twice the number of goals as the second top-scorer in the league, Paulo Dybala of Juventus (14). That’s an astonishing haul, so it’s no wonder the £85 million figure has been whispered when it comes to discussing the price of any potential deal.
It pretty much goes without saying that the Argentinian is having his best-ever season in front of goal. With almost every passing week, he nets a key strike as Napoli continue their admirable attempt to wrestle the Scudetto from Juventus.
The team wobbled a bit in February, but Higuain still scored three goals—that’s what constitutes a bad month for him.
He is, only is, and will only ever be, a No. 9 from this point on. He’s not a striker who can play wide—he did this earlier in his career at Real Madrid, and the results were not great—and since he’s found his groove as the team’s "prima punta," he won’t expect to be shifted wide on any occasion.
In each of the two-and-a-half seasons the 28-year-old has spent in southern Italy, he has breached the 20-goal mark. This is the first time he’s managed it in league play only, but in the previous two he’s used cup competitions to take his tallies comfortably into the mid-20s.
Higuain has not been blessed with great pace, but he makes up for it with exceptional movement, cunning runs and a lethal instinct in front of goal. His top-end speed lacks, but his first five yards are quick, allowing him to skip away and create space. This season especially, he’s produced some simply delicious strikes that involve one-touch finishes and the bamboozling of defenders.
He sounds like the perfect commodity, then, should the usual transfer suspects of Karim Benzema and Edinson Cavani not be available, and while he’d be seriously expensive, such a proven player in front of goal comes without the threat of flopping or disrupting, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
There should be two concerns with the potential deal: one with the player himself, and one with the knock-on effect he might create.
Higuain has two established issues, both rooted in psychology. When he’s not feeling 100 percent fit, he may refuse to chase through balls if he doesn’t think he’s guaranteed to get them, and he can do a bit of strutting if he’s not confident in his own muscles. He’s been that way for years. Unless he feels assured of his own fitness, he won't play properly.
He also has an unfortunate trait: missing big chances when the pressure is really on. He missed a gilt-edged one-on-one in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final in extra time (which his team lost); he missed a difficult but still clear chance with the final kick of extra time in the 2015 Copa America final (which his team lost); and he missed a penalty that would have sent Napoli into the Champions League on the final day of last season against Lazio (who bagged third place instead of them).
Some players move on from misses, some don’t. Higuain has an established pattern of bigger misses and, critically, failing to recover from them.
From a £20 million striker you might say fine, we roll with the punches, but for £85 million? A greater degree of guarantee might just be needed if fans are stomach the deal.
The other concern is where the deal, should it come off (or should United buy any other big-name, high-priced striker), leaves Anthony Martial.
United fans have been frustrated watching the 20-year-old play a huge portion of this season on the left wing when he was sold to them—and excelled early on—as a striker. By and large, the wish is for Wayne Rooney to duck out of the XI and for the Frenchman to play as their No. 9.
Mourinho wouldn’t be caught dead playing two strikers—not unless it’s the 80th minute and his team are two down—so the recruitment of a Higuain-type presence under his command would more or less relegate Martial permanently to the wing.
That’s not necessarily an awful thing; you can be extremely productive as a left forward—just look at Neymar. Martial has the traits and determined personality to become a left-sided player permanently if necessary—he tracks runners, works hard and has an intuitive understanding of how to come inside and how to commit full-backs—and could be a success there on a permanent basis.
But then shifting Martial left to make room for Higuain leaves the expensive Memphis Depay in no man's land. He hasn't impressed in his maiden season at Old Trafford, that's undeniable, but his role at the club would become ever cloudier—and if Van Gaal goes, he'll have lost his No. 1 fan in the first place.
The important thing is to have a plan and to make sure any extravagant move is fully worth it. The striker United purchase needs to be a rock star, and if they’re spending £85 million, he’d better be reliable when the game (or a trophy) is on the line. Martial, clearly the club’s most talented youngster, must be honed and developed well, not shunted wide and left there to stagnate.
Rumours of big signings for the forward line should both excite and unsettle Manchester United fans. An overhaul up top is most certainly needed, but the club must ensure it doesn’t disillusion the one piece already in place that is worth keeping.
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