Even Nike seem confused
The uncertainty surrounding Wesley Sneijder’s future has been frustrating for most Manchester United fans. Is he coming or is he staying?
That is the question that we have been asking ourselves all summer long and will continue to until something happens or until he comes out and makes a statement.
What I can say is encouraging about this whole situation that we find ourselves in is that Wesley Sneijder has not yet come out and made a statement. His failure to rule out a move despite the endless number of opportunities that he has had to do so could still mean there is a possibility that he will join Manchester United this summer.
First and foremost, the quotes which I have found most telling in this whole transfer saga are the ones from Inter Milan’s chief executive Ernesta Paolillo.
“We have to sell, then after we have sold we will see what Inter will buy, the first move will be selling and not buying.”
“We are thinking of UEFA’s rules on Financial Fair Play. That’s why we will start selling, otherwise we will not buy anything. But of course we don’t want to say who we will sell because that would not be a good thing for us to do in the market.”
Inter Milan have already signed two players in this transfer window; central midfielder Ricky Alvarez for €12million and right back Jonathan for a fee thought to be around €5million. Inter Milan have also submitted a bid of €14million for Sao Paulo central midfielder Casemiro, a transaction which is expected to go through in the next few days.
In addition to this there is widespread reported interest in Valencia’s central midfielder Ever Banega from Inter Milan. Inter Milan currently have 8 recognised central midfielders on their books; Stankovic, Cambiasso, Motta, Zanetti, Sneijder, Muntari, Marigo and Ricky Alvarez. With so many central midfielders contracted to the club and real interest in 2 other central midfielders it is only natural to think that Inter Milan may be looking to offload a few. Could Wesley Sneijder be the one to leave? Ernesta Paolillo hinted that someone could be on their way out and as I see it, Wesley Sneijder is the only one who can command the kind of money Inter Milan may be looking to raise. A €40million transfer fee and a €10million saving for each of the next 3 years must look appealing for a team trying to rebuild an ageing squad?
The official stance of both clubs however is that Wesley Sneijder is not for sale and is not transferrable. On Wednesday Marco Branca’s stance was;
“There’s not been an official offer and there has never been the intention to listen to them. There are no updates. He (Wesley Sneijder) is not for sale.”
I guess that this quote is very much in line with Ernesto Paolillo’s comments of not saying who they will sell. To give away in public that they are willing to sell Wesley Sneijder would only drive the price they are looking for down. The following day Sir Alex Ferguson added;
“I have not been involved in this situation. There is no real interest for a lot of reasons. There is nothing I can tell you about it.”
Denial clearly gives Manchester United the upper hand in negotiations. It makes sense for Manchester United not to promise a player to the fans because if we had openly admitted that we wanted to sign Wesley Sneijder, it would create excitement amongst the fans of our football club and if a deal eventually fell through, it would leave a lot of us very disappointed.
Personally I think that the comments from both teams may be a front for something happening behind the scenes. The interest in Wesley Sneijder is thought to be real though what is happening behind the scenes seems to be unclear. There were rumours going round that at the end of one of Inter Milan’s friendlies, Wesley Sneijder did a lap of honour and told his teammates goodbye however Dejan Stankovic’s interview on Saturday probably rubbishes that rumour.
“I bet you a pizza and a beer that Wesley (Sneijder) does not go away. In a couple of days you’ll see that Wesley (Sneijder) will take the microphone and say 100% he will remain with us.” If so, this whole saga should be over soon.”
What is clear is that Wesley Sneijder’s future is unclear. Is he coming or is he staying? It seems that he cannot decide where his future lies. “Only god will decide” where his future lies.
Do you think Wesley Sneijder will join Manchester United? Would you like to see Wesley Sneijder in the red shirt of Manchester United? Feel free to comment below.
Snijder plss cme too united