According to reports, Manchester United and Crystal Palace entered talks for a potential transfer of Aaron Wan-Bissaka that by many are considered to be a move Manchester United need to do if they wish to compete for Premier League title.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 14: Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Selhurst Park on April 14, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
For any Premier League fan, Aaron Wan-Bissaka should not be an unknown name. The 21-year-old English right-back, who is a product of Crystal Palace youth school surely left a mark in 2018/19 season, which was his 2nd year playing for the senior Crystal Palace team. Unlike strikers, where their value can be soon evaluated solely by looking at the goal scored, it’s different when it comes to defenders. With no more than 3 assists to his name in the span of 35 games in 2018/19 season, it would not be surprising to overlook Aaron Wan-Bissaka and his talent, however, knowing where and how to find talent, it was Manchester United who expressed their desire to bring the English right-back to the team.
The football world is evolving and with it, the game itself changes. We, of course, are not talking about significant rule changes, but instead, the changes in how the game is played and the importance player’s roles. Unlike years ago, when defenders were considered to be less important than strikers or midfielders, the football has come to a point when defenders started playing a crucial role in team’s success which is exactly what Manchester United recognised. Knowing well they need to improve their team in all aspects if they wish to compete with Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League, United set their eyes on Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who could be a huge addition for the Red Devils and their defensive line.
Crystal Palace on the other side, wish to keep Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who was arguably one of their best players this season, however, knowing that it is Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s dream to play at Old Trafford, the Eagles will have to get ready to let him go, which they won’t do for cheap. It’s no secret that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wishes to bring Aaron Wan-Bissaka to the team, which is something Crystal Palace are well aware and will surely want to make as much money as possible from this transfer, which could potentially break the record for the most expensive transfer of an English player. Reports suggest Crystal Palace demand 67 million € for the right-back, which would be 4 million higher than the transfer of Raheem Sterling to Manchester City in 2015/16 season.
While the transfer would be a dream come true for Aaron Wan-Bissaka and one of the biggest transfers of 2019 summer, the former Crystal Palace winger John Salako expressed his concern about the move. He stated that while he would be happy to see Aaron Wan-Bissaka join his dream team, he believes that the move to Manchester United could be too soon for the 21-year-old. As an example, he mentioned Wilfried Zaha, who made the same decision in 2013. In an interview for Love Sport Radio, Salako said:
“He’s got the world at his feet, but my only concern is that we had Wilfried Zaha leave at a young age and he didn’t cope”
“He wasn’t mature enough and didn’t really settle in at Man Utd. He ended up coming back and has had the best spell of his career since he came back. He’s obviously another one linked with moving away but I’m just a bit concerned with Aaron.”
He concluded saying:
“It’s too early for Aaron. He needs another season. I’m not surprised United have come in because they could probably get him cheaper and they think they need to do something now.”
John Salako did make some valid points stating why he does not believe Aaron Wan-Bissaka is ready to move to United but at the end of the day, the chance to play for one of the best clubs in the world in addition to large sums of money that come with it, could prove to be too much for Aaron Wan-Bissaka to resist.
