Maybe Fergie’s transfer policy is far more long-term than we think
When Sir Alex Ferguson finally decides that he no longer wants to point at his watch and ignore the calls of the BBC like an old jilted lover, he will leave a chasm at the club that the Premier League has never witnessed. I pity the man who has to fill those shoes (although I probably think it will be Mourniho as he has the balls/ego to do it). Even when he retires from management, you can be assured that he will be at every game exercising a red-nosed, eye of Mordor, peering down on the empire he has left behind.
It is hard to know what will prompt Fergie to finally call it a day, although it will most likely be in a blaze of glory: leaving the club after a trophyless season wouldn’t be apt. The state that he leaves the club in will be key, and one thing we know for sure, is that they will be a talented squad, and more importantly, there will be talented youth still making their way through the United ranks.
Although Manchester United have produced the best home-grown talent in the country during Ferguson’s reign, the club has always had their pick of the biggest names in the country, and abroad, when it comes to transfers also. Never afraid of spending big money when required to do so, the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Juan Sebastian Veron have all been brought in under Ferguson’s orders. While United still have the ability to do such deals, in terms of the more common transfers there has been a shift in the policy: younger players are being brought in, in the hope that they will have long illustrious careers at the club, or if they are sold, will go for far a heft profit having developed their game.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Anderson, Tosic, Smalling, Hernandez and most recently, Bebe are all players who commanded large sums of money despite being relatively – or in Bebe’s case, almost completely – unknown. The levels of success for each player vary, but it seems likely that Ferguson will continue in this vein. These players, coupled with the club’s academy system are all part of a legacy that Ferguson will leave once he calls time (plus stoppages) on his career. His affiliation with the club means that he will want to leave it in as healthy a condition as possible, and by filling his squad with young talents, he believes he is already doing that.
If players such as Hernandez and Bebe, as well as homegrown academy players we have yet to hear of, are all playing well at the club after Ferguson has gone, then his work will still be in effect. The club has the finances to compensate for any young acquisitions that don’t work out i.e. Ronaldo more than makes up for Tosic – it’s a mistake that can be afforded. Ferguson is a vocal admirer of Arsene Wenger, and the Fenchman’s philosophy for finding and nurturing young players will have had an effect on Ferguson over the last ten years. United already had a fantastic academy, but Wenger’s vehemence in moulding young talents into his type of player will not have gone unnoticed at Old Trafford. The current squad is good enough to allow new, younger signings the time to blossom, and who knows, maybe Ferguson’s transfer policy is far more long-term than we think.
Fergie hasn’t signed me still, so I’m writing instead, follow my updates on twitter rather than watch me play in the Prem
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