ClapThe summer transfer window is still upon us, and is still churning out stories that many of us can’t believe. Of course, that’s because they seem so ‘unfeasible’ right up until the moment they actually happen and confirmation is made.
One such transfer, as reported by The Independent and Leicester Mercury, is that of Harry Maguire. The England defender has been riding a huge wave of momentum ever since last summer’s FIFA World Cup, in which he played a huge role in getting the nation all the way into the semi-finals of the tournament. We’ll never know what could’ve or would’ve happened if they had managed to get through Croatia, but either way, he will go down in history as one of the best English defenders to play in a World Cup (or, at the very least, that’s the hope).
Next steps
At the age of just 26 he’s still got a lot of time left to grow and develop, and that, in itself, is an exciting proposition. As we mentioned before there is a transfer looming large over the head of the Leicester defender, and that transfer could potentially see him make the move to Manchester United – for a fee of around £80 million.
That would make him the most expensive defender in the history of the game, even above Virgil van Dijk. That’s considered to be an odd thing for a lot of folks to wrap their heads around, and we kind of get it. Maguire isn’t your stereotypical hero or player that every young kid wants to model themselves after, and that’s part of his appeal.
He’s a little bit different, and with the defensive market being so dry, why not spend that kind of money on a player that is going to give you some defensive stability? Those two words are hard to come by and if it’s going to help out, then we say go for it.
Making an impact
Manchester City have alluded to being somewhat interested in his services, but we aren’t so sure that is going to stick. United have been leading this race since the rumour mill began which, in a lot of ways, can be dated back to last summer after the transfer window.
In terms of the pressure associated with all of this, we just hope that Maguire is able to keep his head (pun not intended) and keep doing things his way. He shouldn’t bow to the pressures of what others may command of him, and he should play the kind of football that we’re so used to seeing out of him.
Is he guaranteed to be a superstar within the ranks of Manchester United Football Club? No. But if the deal goes through you can bet he is going to take his role seriously, and as a result, we could get some really entertaining defensive play out of it.
Defending well at the highest level is something of a lost art in our estimation, and we’d like to see the resurgence of that.
