The most eye-catching deadline day deal might have been the arrival of Radamel Falcao at Old Trafford but, when you really stop and think about it, the most surprising was surely the sale of Danny Welbeck to one of Manchester United’s main rivals.
A local lad, lovingly developed by the club for 15 years and then, just as he was approaching his prime, permanently sold to Arsenal for £4 million less than getting Falcao in the building for just one season.
If any two moments summed up the shift at United from a club who placed such a huge emphasis on nurturing its own to the sort of ‘galactico’ philosophy of Real Madrid, it was surely the respective decisions on Welbeck and Falcao. Welbeck, after all, is a player who, only three years ago, was such a key part of Manchester United’s 8-2 annihilation of Arsenal. Just two years ago he was being hailed by Sir Alex Ferguson as the future of United when he signed a new contract. And only last year, it was Welbeck who Ferguson trusted above Wayne Rooney to start the most important match of the season against Real Madrid in the Champions League. It would be fascinating to know what Ferguson is thinking this morning. Rio Ferdinand was certainly in little doubt. “Welbeck is a top signing for Arsenal,” he said this morning.
Yes, of course there was the argument that Van Gaal needed to get ruthless with some of his underachieving squad but to start with someone who has been at the cub since the age of eight and whose best years are in front of him was fairly startling. Even more surprising was the willingness to strike a permanent £16 million deal with Arsenal at a time one of their most direct challengers for a top four finish were in such obvious need.
At the start of Monday, no one at Arsenal had really expected the Welbeck deal to be done. It was simply felt that United would not sell to them. Indeed, it was not until very late into the afternoon that the message began to seep out of the Emirates that, yes, deadline day might actually throw up a significant deal.
