The truth as to how former Barcelona star Pedro went from being a priority Manchester United target to an official Chelsea player in the space of just 96 hours will always be open to interpretation. Last Monday, chief executive Ed Woodward flew out to Barcelona to negotiate the club’s price for the 2010 World Cup winner. On Thursday, he was paraded across the back pages in a royal blue Chelsea shirt.
Intermittent reports of Louis van Gaal ‘dropping all interest’ are a little difficult to swallow; you get the feeling Manchester United might be trying to save face, in the same manner as last summer when the Dutchman ‘pulled the plug’ on a deal for then-Bayern Munich’s Toni Kroos already set up by predecessor David Moyes, just weeks before he announced he’d be joining Real Madrid.
How many players in the last ten years have been snubbed by United only to immediately sign for the biggest club in world football as their back-up option? My educated guess would be not very many. Resultantly, rumours of Pedro not appreciating the way van Gaal has treated his ostracised compatriot and former team-mate Victor Valdes in the last few months are somewhat more believable.
Yet, there is no question that Manchester United weren’t as committed to signing the Spain international as they could have been. His £21million release clause has been common knowledge for months and represents absolutely sensational value for a three-time Champions League winner still enjoying his peak years at the age of 28, so if the Red Devils were that keen on adding Pedro to their roster, they could have done it much earlier in the summer with the benefit of a whole pre-season to settle in.
Instead, they’ve spent the best part of the last month trying to reduce Barca’s valuation to around £3million less, which seems almost comically pointless considering the winger’s proven talent and the Financial Fair Play-exempt power of United’s purse. It’s as if they were waiting for an excuse not to sign a player the vast majority of the Old Trafford faithful had practically welcomed with open arms already; it’s as if Jose Mourinho’s last-minute interest spared van Gaal from something he secretly never wanted to happen.
But that begs two lingering questions. Firstly, what did van Gaal see in Pedro that caused such hesitation? Secondly, and arguably most importantly, has the United boss just made a massive mistake?
The prevailing theory is that Pedro doesn’t quite represent what LVG is looking for this summer. He’s desperate to source a penetrative dynamic to United’s forward line and although the Spaniard offers a holistic range of talents, he’s not a nimble speedster of the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang model or a power runner like the robust Gareth Bale.
Wayne Rooney has struggled when occupying two centre-backs simultaneously this season – on occasion, encircled by a screening defensive midfielder as well – leaving his Premier League goal tally at precisely zero.
That could all change with an accomplice prepared to make runs beyond him, pushing defences deeper and drawing at least one centre-half away, but there’s certainly more naturally equipped than Pedro in that regard. Sadio Mane for example, who has emerged as United’s preferred alternative over the last few days, performed that service for Graziano Pelle at Southampton last season with prolific effect, netting ten times in 30 appearances.
Likewise, where Pedro ranks in the world’s winger elite is open to debate. My personal view is that the 5 foot 9 attacker has spent much of his career inevitably underrated as a support act to Lionel Messi. But whilst there’s a fairly unanimous verdict on Gareth Bale, Marco Reus and Arjen Robben being amongst the sport’s best wide men, for example, whether the now-Chelsea star is in that company remains a matter of opinion. In a nutshell, many would argue United can do better, be it this summer or the next, and that ‘many’ appears to include Louis van Gaal.
Yet, whether Pedro is the perfect fit for Man United’s formation and whether his name carries the same weight as those aforementioned is almost irrelevant in my opinion.
It took the Spaniard just twenty minutes to claim his first goal in England and only ten more to find his first assist; but those who have watched Pedro closely for years wouldn’t have been at all surprised. His technical quality far exceeds that of your average top four Premier League player whilst his enthusiasm off the ball epitomises the added demands placed on the division’s attackers over the last five years. Simply put, he’s perfect for the English game.
Likewise, the 28 year-old’s high regard throughout the sport for his modesty, experience at top level and renowned professionalism speaks volumes about how well suited he is to a club of Manchester United’s monolithic stature.
Regardless of if he would have been a long-term fixture at United or simply a stop-gap until a Bale or Reus became available, the chances of the Red Devils signing such a proven player for such an unspectacular sum at this late stage in the summer window, who offers them so much both on and off the field, is but a few hundred-thousandths – if that – away from zero. There’s an obvious danger in collecting players without purpose or design; but failing to find a positive role in United’s squad would pose as many questions about Louis van Gaal as it would Pedro himself – a player who matches his talent and modesty in versatility.
In the context of the current transfer window and the remaining time-span of just one week, I fail to see how an Old Trafford outfit still desperately in need of creativity and firepower can do any better than the £21million Chelsea man they seem only too happy missing out on.
Most worryingly of all, their hesitation has made the already formidable Premier League champions that little bit stronger – something tells me passing on Pedro will come back to haunt United before the end of the season.