Sridhar Bhamidi
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho never ceases to grab a moment to put one past his old nemesis, Arsene Wenger. Be it on the pitch or off the pitch, Mourinho wants to stay ahead of his Arsenal compatriot.
So, the 3-1 weekend win at the Emirates may have been sweeter than any other win for the Portuguese, and the gaffer wants to add more good news by beating Arsenal to the signature of this highly-rated midfielder. The player in question is German international Leon Goretzka, who will be free to move away from Schalke next summer.
The highly-rated midfielder’s current contract with the Bundesliga side expires next summer and the 22-year-old has rejected all the advances of Schalke to extend his contract. Reports say that he has rejected a massive pay rise in favour of leaving the club for greener pastures on a Bosman transfer next season. This means that the £20.7m rated German is free to talk to foreign clubs in the winter transfer window.
Arsenal are long-time admirers of the midfielder and Wenger has extensively scouted the player. Should he decide to make a move to a foreign club, Arsenal should be the logical first choice.
However, transfer market rarely works on logic and so with this latest report from the Sunday Express that United are entering the fray, Wenger could be in direct competition with Mourinho for Goretzka’s signature.
So, how efficient is the German midfielder? Goretzka has already netted 6 times for his nation in 12 appearances. Although he can play behind the main striker, Goretzka is comfortable in a box-to-box role. Mourinho can offer him the same as he’s eyeing a long-term replacement for Michael Carrick.
There are also concerns about the future of Marouane Fellaini, who has not yet signed a new deal at the club. His absence would leave a gaping hole in the United team and if that happens, Mourinho would be eager to slot Goretzka in that role.
Will Mourinho get his way with this target and frustrate his ‘old friend’ Wenger? We’ll have to wait to see.
