#3. Ivan Perisic
Current Club: Internazionale Milano
With nothing certain in this world – just ask the Chelsea executive who was handling the Romelu Lukaku transfer negotiations – Ivan Perisic’s almost done-deal may-or-may-not come through this season as Inter and United are still to agree on a fair amount for the combative Croatian. A winger who can double up as either a forward or a wing-back, Perisic’s sheer quality and versatility as well as his positional discipline may well make him perfect for Mourinho.
Here’s a stat that Sky was reporting comparing Perisic and United’s wide men last season (i.e. the league records 2016/17) – it truly stunned quite a few people:
Name | Perisic | Lingard | Martial | Mkhitaryan |
Games | 36 | 25 | 25 | 24 |
Starts | 31 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
Goals | 11 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Assists | 8 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
Crosses | 239 | 25 | 56 | 48 |
While he did have more goals and assists than his United peers, it’s the last row that really stands out: TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-NINE CROSSES!... MY!
With United’s aerial ability supplemented by the addition of Romelu Lukaku, who although not an Andy Caroll or Christian Benteke kind of player, may genuinely thrive off good delivery and the presence of Marouane Fellaini and Paul Pogba (both great in the air), Perisic may be able to provide United with an all-new attacking facet – especially against teams that sit deep and invite them on.
Potential impact of transfer:7/10
Likelihood of transfer: 7/10