I Officially Already Like Antonio Valencia More Than Slave

By: Taylor Rockwell | June 30th, 2009

It’s being reported (and now confirmed by the official site) that United have sealed the transfer of Wigan winger Antonio Valencia for a fee believed to be around £16 million. The Ecuadorian international has long been linked with Old Trafford, but that pursuit now seems to be at an end.

“Joining Manchester United is a dream come true for me,” stated Valencia. “I have enjoyed my time at Wigan, but I am thrilled to have the chance to challenge for the biggest honors in club football here. Playing in front of 76,000 fans alongside players like Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs will be an amazing experience. I can’t wait to get started.”

Sir Alex Ferguson seems equally delighted to have a young winger whose dreams don’t include the words “Real” or “Madrid”. “Antonio is a player we have admired for some time now, having spent the last two years in the Premier League with Wigan,” said the gum-chewing Scotsman. “I am sure his pace and ability will make a significant contribution to the team.”

I’m thrilled with this signing, as it represents United’s first foray into the transfer market. With Citeh signing/being linked with every player on earth, there is now a distinct possibility that we could see a new member of the top four next season. It’s a bit of a long shot, I know… but none of the big four have made considerable progress in strengthening their squads.

So the addition of Valencia (for a fairly cheap sum) certainly strengthens a fairly standard United midfield, and shows that Fergie is planning on getting his money’s worth for that £80 million.

And yet, I’m actually a bit surprised that we’ve done this deal so early. I’m happy it wasn’t dragged out, but I figured with transfer prices being so artificially inflated, I figured we would wait until later on. My guess is that the signing of Valencia indicates two things: 1) he really wanted the transfer and made that clear to the Wigan front office and 2) with Steve Bruce now managing a Sunderland team with a fairly big bankroll behind him, perhaps United didn’t want to risk holding off and allowing a bidding war to begin. Regardless, we’ve got our first player of the transfer season, and I’m absolutely delighted to welcome him to the ranks. I wonder what number he gets?