Man Utd Transfers: The Patrice Evra Conundrum
£3.018 BILLION over the next three seasons. An incredible 70% increase on the current deal. Added into the mix, Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho are newly installed head coaches at perennial heavy spenders Man City and Chelsea respectively. Both bosses will want to put a personal stamp on their respective squads but perhaps the most intriguing events will unfold at Old Trafford where the post Sir Alex Ferguson era begins. Much has been speculated regarding who the current Premier League champions are going to sign, with a plethora of midfielders and a select few defenders linked in recent months. Since the announcement of David Moyes, it has been widely assumed that Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines would follow suit from the Toffees. If such a scenario were to arise then surely that would be the end of Patrice Evra at the Theatre of Dreams. Undoubtedly a fine servant to the club since arriving, Evra has seemingly been in gradual decline for the past two seasons at least. His obvious attacking qualities have been masking a serious flaw in the dynamic full backs game his positional defending. Often left behind by counter attacks due to his natural instinct to overlap the winger, this has led to far too many goals conceded where his defensive channel has been left exposed. This was particularly noticeable in the early part of last season as United had to continually overturn deficits in the pursuit of unlikely victories. Of course, Evra wasnt at fault for every goal that went in during this period. Collectively, the defence looked ill at ease for the first ten weeks of the season or so as injuries impacted selection, which in turn impacted defensive performance. But the evidence was clear for all to see. 
With just a year remaining on his contact and having just turned 32, now would seem to be the perfect time to cash in. Manchester United has often moved players on at the right time over the past twenty years from Lee Sharpe, Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis to David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Andy Cole, amongst others. Each move was for a fair price, and most for a decent profit. The nouveau riche in France, Paris St Germain and Monaco are both billionaire backed, and are continually linked with many of the big names of world football. Perhaps Monaco seems the most likely, considering Evra was signed for £5.5 million from the Principality club in 2006. Interestingly, the French sporting daily, LEquipe has reported in March, May and June of this year that Monaco are preparing a £10 million bid. So there may be potential for a profit for an aging full back with just twelve months to run on his contract. This would seem to be a perfect bit of business for all involved as Monsieur Evra, after five Premier League titles, three League Cups and three Champions League finals at United, is sure to be as equally well paid if he were to choose the exit door for Monaco this summer. There is, of course, the possibility that he might choose to remain and see out his contract therefore leaving on his own terms but should the speculation about the signing of Leighton Baines turn into an eventuality then surely the writing would be on the wall for the French international. However, this is all conjecture at the moment and July 1st will see the opening of the most eagerly anticipated transfer window, probably, ever.