da apostaganha： Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao has opened the door to a future Premier League move further down the line recently and given his quality there would certainly be no shortage of takers for this truly world-class talent, but which side in the top flight is he most suited to in terms of style and system?
da esport bet： The obvious frontrunners for his signature are of course both Chelsea and Manchester City, just by virtue of their wealth, success and the fact that neither has an extremely settled front-line, especially when you compare it to Manchester United’s, the other major player in terms of money in the England.
The Colombian centre-forward The Times: “England? One day, I could go. It is a game I have watched for a long time and one day I would like to sample it. I used to watch it on television when I was a kid. Players like Roy Keane, Eric Cantona, (Gianfranco) Zola. But the one I supported was (Faustino) Asprilla, when he was at Newcastle. I think I could adapt to England. I think I could score goals.”
Chelsea appear to be giving Fernando Torres one final year to prove himself at Stamford Bridge and the experiment appears to be working so far to the tune of four league goals already this season and a series of lively displays. He may not quite be the same player that he was when he first came to this country to Liverpool, he’s lost that crucial half-yard of pace which set him apart and his first touch can still at times be woeful but he remains a decent focal point to the creative talents of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Oscar behind him.
The club’s owner, Roman Abramovich, has shown in the past that he’s not afraid to overrule his manager at the time in the pursuit of what he deems the side to be missing and it’s not entirely unrealistic to think that he’d do the same in the future with Falcao like he has done with Andriy Shevchenko and Torres in the past, particularly in the wake of his hat-trick against Chelsea in the Super Cup final.
The formation that Roberto Di Matteo is pursing with at the moment, which is with just one lone striker up top with ample support behind him appears to be paying dividends not only in terms of style but substance this season would suggest that if Torres keeps up his form that there’s no need for another star striker at the club.
While they may need more in terms of depth up top, with only Victor Moses and Daniel Sturridge capable of playing up there aside from the Spaniard if required, moving for Falcao may wreak havoc with Torres’ form and confidence once again and it’s a risky one to quantify, even if he would thrive on the sort of service the team’s midfield would clearly provide him with.
Next up is Manchester City and Roberto Mancini was clearly after another striker this summer and a creative playmaker too after being beaten to both Robin van Persie and Eden Hazard. It remains to be seen if Edin Dzeko will remain content with his reduced role this season and Carlos Tevez, while he may be happy at the moment, is about as flaky as they come.
A strike-partnership of Falcao and Sergio Aguero is a tantalising prospect and would help form one of the most feared duos in world football and on paper at least, their skill sets would appear to dovetail beautifully; the pacy, intricate advanced forward and the more rounded, complete and burly presence of the 26-year-old alongside him.
Where Mancini does need to invest is another player capable of lightening the load on David Silva in the meantime, with Samir Nasri inconsistent still and Yaya Toure often used deeper in front of the back four before being released further forward later in the game. Falcao would be superb for them, but you suspect that until they let a striker go, they won’t be in for him, which proved the problem with moving for van Persie this summer, particularly with Financial Fair Play (FFP) on the horizon.
Over at Manchester United, they rely on the lure of prestige and reputation as opposed to ouright riches, but there’s also the fact that Sir Alex Ferguson has invested heavily on both Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa this summer in a much-transformed forward line, while Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez are also jostling for starting spots. On the face of it at least, despite suiting the lone striker system that they are preferring these days, he just doesn’t look like a Ferguson signing and he’d likely cost more than they’re willing to pay.
The player’s father stated last month: “His dream is to play for Real Madrid. Since he was a boy he’s always wanted to play there. Other teams in Europe like Chelsea and Manchester City were interested in him. If he can’t play for Real Madrid, he’ll play for a team in England. Of course he wants to go to the 2014 World Cup, but most of all, he wants to go to Real Madrid.”
He may have been speaking out of turn but the lure of playing for the current La Liga champions will always far outweigh anything on offer here in England. Falcao is the sort of player which could adapt to any style of play just so long as he’s the focal point and with Gonzalo Higuain still at times wasteful, there could be a slot there for the taking at Jose Mourinho’s side in the future.
When it comes to the Premier League, though, if I were a betting man, my money would be on Manchester City simply because their forward line still looks in a certain state of flux and Chelsea’s statement of faith in Fernando Torres looks to be working so far.
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