No matter how well the previous season has gone, summer signings are essential to any side. Whatever foundation you have laid in the previous season, you need to take stock, evaluate what you have and try to develop it. Sometimes it takes dramatic change, sometimes it just takes tweaking, but the need for new blood is always apparent. Manchester United lost their league title in dramatic fashion, with the fate of the Premiership coming down to the final kick of the season from Sergio Aguero, a moment that left the Blue half of Manchester jubilant and the Red half shattered. Never will a title be won more dramatically than that. Well, maybe once in a Blue Moon.
But if you're looking for fighters, for a team that thrives off of revenge and redeeming pride, it is definitely United. The events of May 13th will have hurt them and the men in Red will undoubtedly be itching to set the record straight and reaffirm themselves back to number one status, not only in the City, but in the English game. Bouncing back is an inherent trait, it is all Sir Alex and his teams of the past and present have ever known, which sets the new season up as yet another treat to behold.
And with the exciting signing of Japanese international Shinji Kagawa, ever present in pre-season, United seem to have finally unearthed a player with genuine flair and one with an ability to seamlessly interlink Midfield and Attack, with early signs of a positive relationship with Wayne Rooney developing. However, United have equally missed out on other exciting attacking prospects, with a move for Brazilian whizz-kid Lucas Moura gazumped at the last hurdle by free spending Paris St Germain, as well as Eden Hazard opting to reject both Manchester clubs in favour of the European Champions Chelsea.
However, what is abundantly clear is that Sir Alex means business this summer, with his attention to "other club business" forcing him to miss two recent friendlies. This 'other business' is rumoured to be a move for Arsenal striker Robin van Persie, a player who has placed himself in the shop window after growing increasingly frustrated at carrying his team. Such a move would provide a bold statement, something that United desperately need to do in order to overhaul their noisy neighbours.
Van Persie would undoubtedly provide the strong degree of flair that United have been missing of late, with a lack of goals whilst on tour increasingly obvious. Rooney aside, United lack a genuine goalscorer, with Javier Hernandez being more of a poacher who has come off the back of a difficult second season, and Danny Welbeck a sure-fire talent, but not one to reach the 20+ goal mark of a title chasing forward.
Nonetheless, as akin to most of United's high profile pursuits, there are stumbling blocks. For starters, United and Arsenal's valuations of the player are seemingly quite far apart at present, with United already having a £15m bid rejected, whilst Arsenal would like another £10m for their Football Writers' Player of the Year. £25m would be a significant outlay for a man with such a history of injury issues. In addition, despite United appearing to be the player's preferred destination, and with City and Juventus falling by the way side in their interest in the Dutchman, there is a reluctance on the Gunner's part to sell to a 'rival'.
This is something I take particular issue with, as United and Arsenal have not been 'rivals' for years, simply due to the fact that Arsenal have not looked like genuine title contenders for the last 7 years, whilst United have continually been fighting for the title, and have won it 4 times in this period and featured in two Champions League finals. For Arsene Wenger to use that excuse is backdated and incredibly delusional, as there has not been an intense rivalry between the two since the days of Keane vs Vieira, and that was so long ago that they now comfortably sit alongside each other in the ITV studio.
For Ferguson, signing van Persie would represent a significant coup, as unleashing him alongside Rooney would surely send shivers down most Manager's spines. Yet, deal or no deal, van Persie or not, it is clear that United need to strengthen. Any team needs to strengthen, particularly if you are already at the top, or have come so close yet so far as United did last season. What is for sure is that there is no animal more dangerous than a wounded one, and that is the reason you can be sure that United will come back fighting, even stronger than ever before.
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