And So We Begin… Finally…

By: Taylor Rockwell | June 12th, 2009

Well, that didn’t take long. I’ve been concerned about United’s lack of presence in the transfer market, but that problem has finally been addressed this afternoon. Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has confirmed that Manchester United have made a bid for Ecuadorian winger Antonio Valencia.

No concrete figures to be had, but the best estimates indicate that Valencia could be a United player for around £15 million. Wigan are certainly not resigned to losing the talented 23 year old, especially since they’re still in the process of dealing with Steve Bruce’s departure for Sunderland.

Nevertheless, with Slave now Madrid-bound and around £100 million burning a hole in Fergie’s pocket, negotiations are set to begin. Said Whelan: “They (United) have been in touch with us and we will be starting negotiations very shortly, I would imagine. I think they were waiting to see if Ronaldo actually went to Real, which has happened. Things will develop over the next seven to 14 days.

As I said on Tuesday, I really don’t know a whole lot about Valencia. He certainly impressed Fergie when United clashed with Wigan earlier in the year. However, names like “Kleberson” and “Veron” still make me nervous about signing relatively unproven South Americans. However, that nervousness is overshadowed by the fact that I think this will end up being a smart buy. It doesn’t seem to be a reactionary gesture to promote the idea of club stability.

Clearly, this offer has been in the works for a long time, and is one that Fergie values highly. It isn’t an absurd offer for a big name. It’s a smart offer for a talented player with lots of potential. If you look at United last season, the strategy seemed to be “make Slave happy, no matter what.” We were a team with amazing talent, but with one player above all others. Thus, I am ecstatic when I think about a well-rounded team with depth at every position. Once again, I find myself more excited than ever both about the rest of the transfer window and the 2009-2010 season.