Summer will be a time where both Manchester United and Chelsea will need to freshen up their squads, albeit for contrasting reasons, and the two rivals could help each other out by swapping their main strikers. At this stage it would appear that there is more chance of Joey Barton winning a fair play award than there is of United retaining their Premier League crown. A season of relative embarrassment for the Reds in David Moyes first season in charge will have to be met with a squad overhaul. Meanwhile Chelsea are flying high and they still have a chance of securing their first title for four years. However, if the west Londoners miss out on the accolade, they might point to the lack of goals from their strike-force; Fernando Torres, Samuel Etoo and Demba Ba have only 11 goals between them this campaign. Similarly at United, Robin van Persie - last seasons top scorer - has had a stop-start year thanks to injuries and has 10 goals. Now in his thirties, its important that the Dutchman doesnt slip into a gradual decline, and a change of scenery could be just what the doctor ordered. This season you get the sense that Moyes is trying too hard to utilise van Persies aerial threat and as such the Red Devils are becoming predictable. Against Fulham they set the record number of crosses in a Premier League match - 81 - something that was deemed to be Non-League standard by a Cottagers player. Chelsea could be RVPs perfect destination. Since making his name at another Premier League rival, Arsenal, the former Feyenoord youngster has been a lethal finisher. Since 2010, having properly recovered from recurring injuries in his youth, van Persie has hit an astonishing 84 league goals. With such creative midfielders at Chelsea like Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian, Uniteds star could provide the focal point that has been missing for the Blues since Didier Drogba. Age shouldnt and wouldnt be a concern for owner Roman Abramovich if he were to prepare a bid. After all, Stamford Bridge is something of a happy hunting ground for players in their thirties. Frank Lampard, John Terry, and Drogba could all testify to that. The people that might need selling on the idea is Manchester United and their fans. You cant blame them either Torres has had a tough few years. Like RVP, the Spanish striker is long overdue a move. It seems strange that he hasnt exactly been a success at Chelsea, though, as he also can be a great finisher. Maybe it was the pressure of a £50 million price-tag following a move from Liverpool but the confidence has ebbed away from the 29-year-old. We have seen glimpses of a recovery but hopes of a return to the form enjoyed on Merseyside are falling away. However, a move to Old Trafford could do the trick. Firstly that price-tag pressure would be instantly removed. Clearly United enjoyed van Persie in-form and an in-form Torres has very similar attributes. Also, with Wayne Rooney signing a new contract, the former Atheltico Madrid man has plenty of goal-scoring quality around him, he wouldnt play as the lone striker like he does at Chelsea. The only shortfall of Torres is his inferior heading ability. But, having mentioned the overload of crosses from Moyes side already, it wouldnt be a bad idea for the Reds to keep it on the floor a little bit more. Both Torres and van Persie are still top quality strikers, and similar to each other, but with both in a quiet spell, a change of scenery could make both Chelsea and United stronger, which in turn would make the Premier League very interesting next year. #Prince
Posted on: Sun, 23 Feb 2014 19:53:04 +0000