Our Manchester United supporters here in the Football Transfer Tavern are glad their team are finally back in home action tomorrow when Louis van Gaal’s Red Devils face West Ham United at Old Trafford.
Having claimed four points from two away fixtures against Watford and Leicester City previously, United are still firmly in the Premier League title race just two points off first-placed Manchester City at present.
Historically speaking, United typically enjoy home encounters against the Hammers with West Ham having picked up ZERO points from their last eight journeys to the Theatre of Dreams.
Louis van Gaal could do with three points as well with a growing number of Red Devils supporters not overly convinced in which the direction the club is going in, especially regarding their playing style that has been labelled as boring by fans and pundits alike so far this campaign.
Winning footbal games is not enough for Manchester United supporters who will demand that the likes of Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney play a lot better than they have done in recent appearances.
In a Premier League season billed as poor in terms of quality this term, there’s no getting away from the fact that if United had a lethal finisher up top, they’d probably be sitting at number one right now.
With a few deficiencies still remaining in United’s overall squad, we’ve taken this moment to devise a five-man shortlist of January signings that could take the Red Devils to the next level in the New Year.
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Click on the image below to reveal the five January signings that can take Manchester United to the next level.
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Raphael Varane
While United’s defence has been pretty sturdy this term with Louis van Gaal’s side conceding less goals this season, the fact still remains that the club didn’t bring in defensive reinforcements in the summer.
Missing out in high profile swoops for Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos and Nicolas Otamendi who at the time belonged to Valencia, an injury to the likes of Chris Smalling right now could cost the Red Devils dear.
Adding another centre back of top quality in January has to be pretty high on van Gaal’s list of priorities and perhaps he should be cheekily enquiring over the availability and asking price of Raphael Varane.
As has proved the case however, Real aren’t the easiest side to negotiate with, not to mention the fact Varane has played a tiny bit more than Pepe this season as Rafael Benitez’s preferred partner for Sergio Ramos.
That said, Varane is never far from the transfer rumours and lets be honest, it’s somebody of this quality that United really need to be lining up alongside the ever-improving Smalling.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
If you’re looking around Europe for regular sources of goals right now, look no further than Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who has already scored 23 goals in all competitions so far this season.
Probably as important to the Bundesliga giants right now as Robert Lewandowski was in his pomp before him, the Signal Iduna Park outfit understandably don’t want to sell their prized asset.
That said, Dortmund have already named their price for the Gabon international who is available at £42 million which represents his current buy-out clause.
While most punters accept that the game has gone mad regarding transfer fees, if United spent £36 million on untried Anthony Martial, surely £42 million on a proven goalscorer such as Aubameyang is worth it in the ridiculously over-inflated world of football?
If United are still there or thereabouts in the title race come the latter stages of January, surely Aubameyang’s signing would give them a vital second wind heading into the business end of the campaign?
Sadio Mane
While Southampton have already let their feelings known on the Sadio Mane transfer speculation, this hasn’t stopped the Daily Mail from claiming yesterday that Bayern Munich are also interested in the Manchester United transfer target.
Most definitely one of the Saints’ best players, if not the best at the moment, the Senegalese international has taken to Premier League football like a duck to water and has already proved that he can cause trouble to an entrie range of opponents.
Ronald Koeman won’t want to sell of course but we’ve seen time and again in the past that the St Mary’s club will sell if the price is right.
United are used to blowing other clubs out of the water with huge fees nowadays so if they really want the talented Mane, they’ll have to put their money where their mouth is.
Jamie Vardy
Quite simply, the story of the 2015/16 Premier League season so far has been the remarkable rise and rise of Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy.
Now the Premier League’s all-time record consecutive goalscorer with 11 strikes in 11 fixtures, Vardy has taken unlikely Leicester to second place in the table right now – actually tied with first-placed Manchester City points wise on 29!
Given his sparkling form, naturally there’s been transfer links to some of the Premier League’s bigger fish and in a recent story by The Independent, Robbie Savage has urged Louis van Gaal to make a January move for the England international.
While some may have looked down on Vardy’s talents in the past in snobby fashion, there’s no doubting that he’s the most clinical forward around in England right now and to land him while taking away Leicester City’s firepower could be a huge leg-up for United in the title race this term.
We think the Foxes would take any potential suitor to the cleaners in terms of a transfer fee however!
Marquinhos
While the Daily Star reported back in November that Marquinhos has no plans to quit Paris Saint-Germain, we here in the tavern have been around long enough to know that things can turn around awfully quick.
What Marquinhos says today could be something totally different in January and Louis van Gaal should definitely be looking to land a new centre back of his quality.
With the Brazilian international still an unsused substitute far more than he’d like with David Luiz and Thiago Silva often starting as Laurent Blanc’s preferred centre back duo, these are at least some grounds to help tempt him away from the Parc Des Princes but if anybody does any time soon, it’ll be for a handsome fee that’s for sure.
Subject of a failed summer transfer deadline day bid from Chelsea, Marquinhos is a man in demand and with Phil Jones anything but reliable regarding his injury troubles, van Gaal should be looking to add another centre back and quick.
