Maybe Manchester City should have let Chelsea win last Sunday? Instead their emphatic demonstration of superiority has played into the hands of José Mourinho, seemingly convincing Roman Abramovich to sanction a last-gasp trolley dash before the transfer window closes. Since that chastening 3-0 defeat Chelsea have completed the signing of Baba Rahman and gazumped Manchester United for Pedro and now the Daily Star claims that the Londoners are about to splurge another £100m to prise John Stones from Everton and lure the long-time City target Paul Pogba away from Juventus.
There are even claims – dubious and random ones, admittedly – that Chelsea are preparing to lavish around £40m on Monaco for the 19-year-old striker Anthony Martial. So it’s almost as if the loss at City and Mourinho’s early-season tantrums were part of a managerial masterplan that will result with the Portuguese getting a pram full of new toys and a gigantic ice cream. All of which will only encourage the incorrigible coot. Oh City, couldn’t you have held back for a couple of weeks?!
Louis van Gaal is believed to be reacting to the latest developments, particularly Chelsea’s capture of Pedro, by drawing up a list of targets – of players to sign and people to blame, none of whom will be a grandstanding Dutchman whose most remarkable achievement in a little over a year at Manchester United has been to assemble the world’s most valuable collection of ornamental goalkeepers. Along with the interest in Sadio Mané and Thomas Müller, there are suggestions this morning that Keylor Navas will become the latest extra in the Van Gaal show, as part of a deal that finally takes David de Gea home.
Mind you, the Daily Mail claims that Van Gaal has suddenly decided that the 18-year-old striker Borja Mayoral would be a better acquisition from Real instead. And, inevitably, there are lingering reports of United clinging to the delusion that they could use De Gea to wangle Gareth Bale out of the Bernabéu. On a similarly misguided note, Arsenal are said to be still banging on the Karim Benzema door despite the ‘no cold-callers’ sign on it.
Meanwhile, United are also said to be vying with Tottenham for the services of Dynamo Moscow midfielder Aleksandr Kokorin, with that one expected to go the way of most United-Spurs clashes. Spurs think that they will at least get Saido Berahino if they increase their offer to just over £20m and they also fancy that Chelsea’s sudden revamp means they could get Victor Moses at a snip, or at least for less than Crystal Palace want for Yannick Bolasie.
Liverpool are trying to resolve one of the Mamadou Sakho conundrums. Not ‘how can a player who is actually quite deft often look so ungainly?’ but ‘how can we persuade a player to pledge his future to the club when we are not picking him’. Of course, not picking him may be part of an attempt to get him to sign a new contract but with Roma and Bayer Leverkusen circling, you sense that Liverpool need to get Sakho back in the side pronto before the biggest conundrum of all – ‘how have Liverpool not conceded yet this season without their best centre-back (and with Dejan Lovren)?’ becomes outdated. Meanwhile, Lucas Leiva has reached his expiry date at Anfield and could be offloaded to Besiktas.
Everton are exploring the possibility of bringing Dante from Bayern Munich to Goodison, a move that does not jar anywhere near as much as the mooted Alexandre Pato-to-Sunderland one would. Speaking of jarring, Fiorentina are making moves to sign the fearsome Lyon centre-back Lindsay Rose.
Finally, and here’s why the end of the transfer window could be hectic, Manchester City are determined not to let Chelsea make up lost ground. They may rival Paris Saint-Germain for the signature of the Monaco left-back Layvin Kurzawa and, inevitably, there are whispers that they may wade back into the Pogba battle.
