Why Manchester United shouldn’t hesitate to splash big on Kalidou Koulibaly
According to talkSPORT (h/t The Sun), Napoli have quoted a staggering £100million valuation for Manchester United target Kalidou Koulibaly. Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis can come out and warned that clubs need not bother coming in with offers less than the amount mentioned.
Manchester United still need a world-class defender
Even a few months ago, if someone told us that Manchester United would be Premier League leaders come 2021, we’d say the person is bonkers. However, that is exactly what has transpired. Coupled with some patchy form from other sides and some fantastic displays from the Red Devils, they sit atop the league rankings and also hold a 3 point lead.
It was surely through a lot of work that Manchester United find themselves in such a position. Nonetheless, there are still areas of the squad that need some revamping. One of them is central defence. Harry Maguire has been the go-to central defender for Solskjaer alongside Victor Lindelof. In recent games, it is Eric Bailly who has taken the Swede’s place.
It may look that the side are well settled in terms of their defence but they are still susceptible to conceding goals. Maguire isn’t the most mobile of defenders and Lindelof leaves a lot to be desired in terms of his ability.
Eric Bailly may just be United’s best defender when fit but he is a huge injury risk. Adding a world-class defender to this side could do wonders in the long-term.
United should splurge on Koulibaly
There have been few genuinely world-class defenders in Europe in recent times. Among those select few, is Kalidou Koulibaly. Not many forwards have gotten the better of him in recent seasons.
While Napoli may not have exactly had similar fortunes as Liverpool, those are due to other factors. One of Napoli’s best defenders in a long time, it is hard not to see why United shouldn’t go all out for him.
A defensive giant in every respect, the big Sengalese can have the same effect Van Dijk had on Liverpool. The two are similar in more ways than one. There is no doubt that Koulibaly represents a huge upgrade on United’s current defensive roster.
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Yes, £100million is an astronomical amount in this pandemic affected economy. However, Manchester United need a world-class defensive operator like Koulibaly if they are serious about challenging for trophies.
We all saw how United have fallen short in the semi-final stages and also got eliminated from the Champions League. They can put a stop to those issues by going all out for Koulibaly. That is perhaps the cost United have to pay if they are to reach the next level and compete with Europe’s best.
