Louis Saha?

By: j | July 27th, 2008

The rumour mill is alive and well and seemingly without conscious. Reports begin to circulate, with news sources quoting each other and of-course, the team, the agents and the player have little knowledge of anything of substance going on.

Which brings me to today’s hot rumour, one Louis Saha. A native of Paris, who entered the professional ranks in Metz and served Les Bleus admirably, Louis has seen his role diminish at Manchester United considerably recently. With new Strikers on the horizon, the fact of the matter is that this will continue but such is the case with one of the most successful clubs in the sport. Competition, the arrival of young guns, is inevitable and if you are not prepared to compete, then it is likely best to move-on.

While it is true Mr. Saha might be interested in plying his trade elsewhere, Sir Alex is more than aware that to hoist consecutive Champions League trophies, you will need a stable of players who could be stars elsewhere. Each of their rumored acquisitions this season have known going into discussions that they would face a similar greetings. Noted targets such as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar of Ajax (stay home Klass) and Dimitar Berbatov of Tottenham are keenly aware of this and it is one of the hidden sticking points in negotiations. Players used to be the focus of attention are unaccustomed to facing significantly reduced playing-time and having to fight for the starting grid. It should also be stressed that the Footballing genius of The Red Devils knows the importance of veteran leadership and has a special respect for senior players and those that are loyal to the squad are richly rewarded in the later stages of their career. Given extremely lofty goals of Sir Alex as he moves to conclude an incredible career, a player who chooses to leave Manchester United at this time when he is still welcomed, has conceded to competition.

Returning to the subject of this post or should I say the subject of this rumour, at this stage it is a meal served without anything on the plate. Mr. Saha as consistently been the subject of rumours of him moving on and while he deals with the natural competitive urge of a champion athlete looking for more playing time he has always given every indication that he would like to maintain a strong relationship with the club. Equally the club wishes to maintain a strong tie with him, long after his playing days are over and to have a better connection to all of French Football. Sir Alex, who behind the scenes builds tremendous grassroots relationships, was more than annoyed when Gaël N’Lundulu of the PSG Academy went to Portsmouth and knows full-well that much of the problem relates to its crumbling relationship with the youth in France. Considering some long-term plans and old fences being mended with “King Eric” as well as the need for veteran support, Sir Alex isn’t about to let Mr. Saha leave without a fight, much less a hearty price which is more likely to come in the form of talented young players than a few million Euros.

Is it possible that Mr. Saha could be heading to another club? Certainly, maybe a trip to Monaco or Nice, given he likes the Côte d’Azur (can anyone disagree?) are possible bolstering the perennial Lyonnais towards a Champions League run or any number of Premier League squads but all are highly speculative and not based upon fact. While it is true his Les Bleaus teammate Claude Makélélé joining PSG is a natural tie-in, if their is to be activity in this area it has yet to happen with the actual parties. I dare say if every member of Les Bleus, who got along with Claude is to be rumoured on his way, we will have a very packed training ground.

My final point of this is more of an observation because I wonder how many of these people who initiate these stories have any involvement in the game, other than reporting? Have they stepped-on the pitch before, played or coached and do they understand the finite levels of the professional game? I enjoyed the “rumour mill” as much as anyone but at times it truly needs tempering or at least someone to say, this is purely a media dish at this time. Quite obviously all-too-often in the search for “content”. reports are generated that are merely speculation and are better left unsaid. I however will make some back channel inquiries and find out whether there is any substance to this or is it merely fiction.

Yet I do have one request and I hope you will allow it this Sunday afternoon. If there are rumours to be started can we just make it something brilliant, something we can all rejoice in..such as a thirty-six year old’s return to the game.