The whole David De Gea saga between Manchester United and Real Madrid made both sides look bad and for no good reason.
Two of the biggest clubs in the world came out looking like children.
United looked like the selfish child who didn’t want to share its favourite toy, purposely sending through paper work late enough that Real didn’t have a chance to file it to the league.
Madrid then played the tattletale, throwing the blame United’s way because of paperwork snafu.
If this whole thing is really over the fact that Madrid wouldn’t sell Sergio Ramos to United – who has since been re-signed and named team captain – then this looks super bad on United.
World-class teams should act with at least a little bit of, ahem, class.
There was no reason this transfer shouldn’t have gone through and all it does is damage the reputation of both clubs.
If Ed Woodward really was that spiteful over not getting Ramos, he should’ve been a professional about and not pulled this sort of shady maneuver.
Now, we can’t wait for the January window to open to see what happens between the two clubs.
CHELSEA MISSES OUT
It’s no secret that this year’s Chelsea defence hasn’t been the same rock-solid back four that Jose Mourinho used as a foundation for last year’s title run. That’s why it was unsurprising that he made bids for both Everton’s John Stones and PSG’s Marquinhos.
He failed to land either of them, but the intent was there and it showed that the Special One recognizes his team’s weakness.
You could definitely see either of those two pairing up with Kurt Zouma as the Blues’ centre back pairing of the future with John Terry and Gary Cahill looking quite over the hill.
WHAT IS THIS ‘FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY?’
Manchester City spent money like it was going out of style.
Between the big money signings of Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling – not to mention a few others incoming – the Citizens splashed 153-millon pounds this summer.
The impact has already been shown, with City racing out to the league lead and remain the only team with a 100% record after four games.
The defence has also improved, having not conceded yet this season.
The only real question is how will FIFA look at this big spending with City not sending many players through the outdoor.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Clearly in need of a proven striker to supplement Wayne Rooney up front, Manchester United went out and bought a 19-year-old. Sure Anthony Martial has a ton of potential, but the Red Devils attack needs help now … Sending out Adnan Januzaj on loan and selling Javier Hernandez didn’t do much to help United’s attack either. I also question whether sending Januzaj to Dortmund will actually net the youngster more playing time than he’d receive at United … Fabio Borini back to Sunderland makes sense for everyone involved. He was never going to win a place at Liverpool … What does West Brom do with Saido Berahino now? The young English striker says he’ll never play for the club again after it turned down four offers from Tottenham. Maybe someone should tell Berahino that Spurs weren’t coming close to meeting the terms that the Baggies set. Now you have to wonder what Berahino does until the January window opens … FIFA players rejoice! The sweat God himself Victor Ibarbo is in the Premier League, signing on loan with Watford. Look for to seeing him in a lot more squads this year.
THAT’S SO WENGER
One player in, eight players out. That was the net at Arsenal this transfer window, despite needing another striker and some cover in defence and holding midfielder.
The past two summers, Arsene Wenger actually splashed some cash, landing Mesut Ozil and then Alexis Sanchez. This year, it was just Petr Cech very early on and then nothing else.
While the manager decried the prices that some teams were asking, that’s just the reality of the Premier League. The prices are going to be inflated for everybody because of the new TV deal. It’s not like the Gunners are going to get a discount for complaining about it.
This is just one more sign of the times that Wenger is very slow to adapt to.