Why the club should sell £40m star to Man Utd, not Chelsea
It was the interview no Tottenham fan ever wanted to see.
In a revealing sit-down with The Sun, Danny Rose admitted that time is running out in his career to win trophies and medals and he’d be willing to discuss a move away from north London to be able to do so.
“Time is running out and I do want to win trophies. I don’t want to play football for 15 years and not have one trophy or one medal”
The 27-year-old told The Sun that he wasn’t planning on submitting an official transfer request to force through a move, but he’d be willing to discuss offers that came in from other clubs.
“I’m not saying I want out, but if something came to me that was concrete, I’d have no qualms about voicing my opinions to anyone at the club.”
The £40m-rated England star has indicated that he’s growing disillusioned with the perceived lack of ambition at Tottenham and the slow transfer activity that has seen Spurs fail to bring in a new face thus far this summer. Moreover, he’s expecting a pay rise when he negotiates his next contract, inferring that he feels undervalued by the club and isn’t paid what he’s worth.
These are issues that other, more financially imbued, clubs can readily resolve, hence Rose’s eagerness to try and engineer a move elsewhere.
RealSport understand that Rose would prefer a move to one of Manchester United or Chelsea, so we’re looking at which would be best for the left back.
Manchester United
Jose Mourinho isn’t yet satisfied with United’s transfer business this summer and reports have emerged that he’s keen to switch his attention to Rose if the Red Devils fail in their pursuit of Ivan Perisic and Gareth Bale, which is looking likely.
For Danny Rose
From Rose’s perspective, this is a great move. United are finally beginning to look the side that Sir Alex Ferguson left behind in terms of quality, though the mentality is still some way short of that engineered under the Scot.
Having won three trophies last season, Mourinho has further demonstrated his trophy-winning pedigree and it offers Rose a chance to win a piece of silverware, perhaps even the Premier League title.
United are willing to open the chequebook when it comes to players they desperately want and a move would see Rose earn over £100k p/w, satisfying his desire to earn a wage he feels reflects his worth. It also won’t leave too bitter a taste in the mouths of Spurs supporters.
For Man Utd
For Mourinho’s counter-attacking, low block defensive system, Rose is a great addition. He offers speed, trickery and directness on the counter-attack, attributes United lack in defence.
It’s proven difficult to play for Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian, pure defenders rather than winger-wingback hybrids, especially in a 3-5-2 formation, but Rose would correct this deficiency.
For Tottenham
If Spurs do decide to sell Rose this summer in light of his outrageous interview with The Sun, United are perhaps the best suitor in terms of the benefits the selling club receive.
The Lilywhites are in a strong position when it comes to Rose. He signed a five-year deal only last summer, so his value is protected for the next couple of years, and they’re in a position in which they don’t actually need to sell, especially as Rose didn’t explicitly state that he wanted to leave or that he’d hand in a transfer request.
It means Spurs can demand an extortionately high fee. Moreover, Mourinho has players in his squad he doesn’t want, namely Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial.
Prior to his move to Old Trafford, Shaw was one England’s most promising youth prospects and excelled under Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton. Perhaps the Argentine can get the best out of him once more if he overcomes his fitness issues?
Martial, too, would be a great addition to Tottenham and he offers directness, power and speed on the left flank, as well as an ability to beat defenders and fire shots on goal.
Selling to United allows for Spurs to include players they need in a part exchange deal.
Chelsea
I’m eager to understand how Chelsea fits into Rose’s perception of “up north,” but he reportedly is keen to join Antonio Conte’s title-winners if they were to table an offer.
“I will say this too,” Rose said. “I will play up north. I don’t know exactly when, but I will get back up north and play some football somewhere.”
Last time I checked, Chelsea were still based in west London.
For Danny Rose
Chelsea offers arguably the same prospect as Manchester United. At Stamford Bridge, Rose will likely be able to fulfil his desire to win trophies and Roman Abramovich would undoubtedly offer him a mammoth wage packet to reflect his perceived worth.
However, Marcos Alonso had a fantastic season and there’s the argument that Rose wouldn’t be undisputed first choice as he would at Old Trafford. He’d likely slot into a rotational system, but there’s every chance he ousts Alonso as first choice by the mid-way point of the campaign.
Moreover, Chelsea are enduring some turbulence at present. The squad is thin, Conte is unhappy with the summer activity and there are doubts over whether he’ll continue at the club. Is this the best environment to join?
In truth, it doesn’t matter too much. Chelsea are notorious for turning over both players and managers on a regular basis, yet still manage to keep the silverware incoming.
“I’ll never forget how some fans treated me when I signed a contract… I got a lot of stick before Mauricio came to the club. I’ll never forget some of things they said about me.”
The big issue with a move to west London, though, is that Rose would be joining one of Spurs’ most hated rivals. I think for the player it genuinely doesn’t make a shred of difference, based on the loyalty demonstrated in his interview, but if he thought the stick he got prior to Pochettino’s arrival was bad, just wait and see what this move would herald…
For Chelsea
Chelsea benefit in the same way United do. In Rose, they get the Premier League’s best left back, one that made it into the PFA Team of the Year despite missing half the season through injury.
He fits Conte’s counter-attacking style of play and his speed and energy on the left flank offers a great attacking outlet to complement and support Eden Hazard on the same side of the pitch.
Moreover, it solves a key issue in their squad in terms of depth. Conte has complained about the diminishing size of the Blues’ squad and having a pair of wing backs to rotate through the season will be key to success, given the importance placed on the position in the Italian’s system.
For Tottenham
The encouraging thing about having both Chelsea and United interested in Rose is that Daniel Levy can do what he does best and spark a bidding war to drive his price up and both clubs will be willing to spend around £50-60 million to acquire him. Either way, therefore, Spurs will benefit financially.
However, there’s no upside whatsoever in selling the 27-year-old to the Blues. The boardroom will be perceived in a terrible light by the fanbase for committing the unforgivable act of selling to a London rival, whilst there aren’t many players Chelsea would be willing to send the other way to sweeten the deal, whereas United have a few in their ranks that would solve a few problems in the Spurs squad.
Our verdict: Manchester United
Whilst no Spurs fan or member of staff, for that matter, wants to see Danny Rose leave the club, the fact of the matter is that it might become an inevitability in the near future.
If it does, there’s only one option here in terms of selling within the Premier League. It’s unspeakable to sell to Chelsea, leaving just United as an option.
Moreover, the Red Devils will pay over the odds and be able to offer players in exchange to sweeten the deal.