David de Gea's reaction after conceding a goal against Sevilla in the Europa League this week. Photo: Matthew Peters/Getty Images
Eric Ten Haeg only needs to look at what happened a few miles down Mancunian Way to understand how important a goalkeeper is to the success of the Premier League.
One of Pep Guardiola's first move at Manchester City was to replace Joe Hart, despite inheriting England's best goalkeeper when he arrived at the Etihad Stadium.
Hart went to the European Championship as No. 1 instead of Roy Hodgson, but Guardiola I wanted the goalkeeper to start the movement with his feet. He played a crucial role in bringing Claudio Bravo to the first window, and a year later Ederson Moraes. The Spaniard recently revealed that his team only works well when key positions are at the top of their game, and eliminated Ederson's name as one of his important players.
The only other title holders in the Guardiola era are Chelsea and Liverpool, who had Thibaut Courtois and Alisson Becker in goal, both stop shots and know how to play with their feet.
At Manchester United in front of Ten Hag now there are serious questions about whether David de Gea should become his player. long-term goalkeeper to once again make contenders for the club title.
De Gea's weaknesses came to light this week against Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. With the ball at his feet, he cost his team two goals, first trying to beat Harry Maguire and then failing with a simple long forward shot. He was slow to react when Sevilla beat United on a corner.
Terrible night for Manchester United just getting worse…
David De Gea won't want to watch this game 😬#UEL pic.twitter.com/z9iiPlCDZE
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 20, 2023
De Gea spent 12 years at United adapting to English football before becoming a player worthy of his Premier League points weight for his saves. But in this decade the goalkeeper has evolved and he is not a versatile player with the skills of his rivals at other clubs.
His contract situation shows that his current deal expires at the end of the season. As The Telegraph reported earlier this season, United have turned down the option of a one-year extension as their wages are well over £300,000 a week United are in the Champions League. On the table is a contract that he must sign for a lower salary with incentives for games played.
David de Gea was allowed to discuss your future with other clubs. Photo: Ash Donelon/Getty Images
Both the club and De Gea are in a difficult position regarding his future. For the past four months, De Gea has been allowed to associate with other clubs on a pre-contract basis, but top European teams have no goalkeeping positions. Tottenham see goalkeepers as a long-term replacement for Hugo Lloris, but they won't spend as much as De Gea expects on salary.
United want to spend in the summer, but the midfielder and striker are their top priority where they go budget.
In January, they considered the possibility of a free transfer of the European goalkeeper, but he has since signed a new contract. There is still hope that De Gea will likely move to United, but he clearly needs some competition. Jack Butland showed up in the last window, but he is just a front and is not expected to fight for the regular spot.
Ten Hag said the right things about his goaltender this week. Before the Sevilla debacle, he called De Gea «an absolute goalkeeper», and after being blamed for goals, Ten Hag pointed to his Premier League clean sheet. But the goalkeeping game has clearly evolved, and he is not keeping up with it.
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