Transfer Alert: David De Gea to Manchester United

It´s not a new story, not by any stretch of the imagination, but Onda Cero in Spain are reporting that a 5 year/20 million euro deal has been struck with Manchester United, sending the promising keeper to Manchester effective this Summer. Atlético de Madrid at first were denying it stating that they would welcome a bid if and only if the player asks to leave and his 25 million euro buy-out is met. Later on with Jose Ramón de la Morena on Cadena Ser´s radio program El Larguero, Managing Director Miguel Ángel Gil Marín admitted that a bid had been received but noted that there was also an offer from Chelsea on the table and that they had not given up on keeping the player.

United, set to lose veteran goal-keeper Edwin Van der Sar, are still looking for a long-term solution, one they have struggled to fill really since the days of Peter Schmeichel. Bosnich, van der Gouw, Culkin, Taibi, Rachubka, Barthez, Goram, Carroll, Ricardo, and Tim Howard all tried and failed to step into the Dane´s very big shoes at Old Trafford. The question is, can De Gea do it? Can he make the transition to the very big stakes of the English Premier League and to arguably its biggest club?

Off the pitch he will need to initially settle both culturally and linguistically, but England has plenty of players to make him welcome whether at the club or around the league and he´s a cosmopolitan kid like Fernando Torres or Cesc Fabregas. It is much easier to assimilate if you are already familiar with living in a big city. On the pitch, he´s big and athletic for sure, a great shot-stopper, and won´t be at all intimidated by the likes of John Terry coming in on a cross, but people have to realize that he is still very much a kid in goalkeeping terms. He won´t be 21 until well into November and that is practically embryonic. Most keepers don´t settle until their late 20´s. Tim Howard didn´t until after he left the pressure cooker that is Manchester United. 

Do I think he´s ready for it? No, he´s risking a very bright career, but I see the pull. If you don´t play for one of the big two in Spain, you will inevitably reach that glass ceiling. He´s not going to displace Casillas at Real Madrid. Ditto for Valdez at Barcelona, so he is going to have to get the big bucks and win trophies elsewhere.

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