When the rich wage war, it’s the poor who die. And when superteams bobble one of the biggest transfers of the summer on deadline day, it’s the players who suffer the most. In the middle of the tug of war, this immature shifting of blame between two of the richest clubs in the world, are two persons who have had their lives halted and their dreams ruined.
Real Madrid, Manchester United failed David De Gea and Keylor Navas
And they should be ashamed of themselves.
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Depending on which side you ask, the other is at fault. Real Madrid were first to release a statement detailing times and procedures taken to make sure that the transfer of David De Gea, the Manchester United goalkeeper, would go through. At the end, they claimed innocence, stating that they had done everything correctly and that it was United who had dallied and caused the unfortunate situation.
United responded with their own list of times and the actions that correlate with them. In their statement, they claimed that Real Madrid had waited until the last hours of deadline day to make a bid, and that though they did not want to sell the player, they accepted the bid -- as long as Keylor Navas was sent to them. They proclaim that the papers were sent on time from their side and that they had handled all registration and processes correctly. In conclusion, it was the Spanish club who had failed in their duties. They made sure to signify that their partners in trade were exactly 28 minutes past the deadline.
United ended the statement with a smirk -- boasting that they were glad that De Gea, a two-time player of the year winner for them, was indeed going to be forced to stay. That can be seen as a ceding of position and an indication of where the foul play occurred, if one is to be overly skeptical.
Since the beginning of the summer, and even way before that, maybe even back to De Gea's childhood, it seemed that he was destined to play for Real Madrid. The only obstacle that had been in his way was the iconic Iker Casillas, who Jose Mourinho did everything in his power to break, and the process would be completed as he was finally pushed out of the club this summer. All roads were clear. Everyone knew what it meant, the transfer rumors now were about as insightful as predicting that it will snow in the winter.
Manchester United went and bought Sergio Romero and played him for the first few games of the season, as they too signified that the move was practically a done deal.
Except there was another man. There always is. Navas had moved to Real Madrid from Levante after helping drive meek Costa Rica to the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup. He was supposed to be competition for the club captain, but managed only to make 11 appearances in all competitions that season. Then Casillas left, and he got his chance. And for all intents and purposes, he's grabbed the rabbit and run with it. He won the support of the dressing room and against Real Betis, the famously acidic Santiago Bernabeu cheered his name.
But the heart wants what the heart wants, and it wants David De Gea. Not Keylor Navas, nor even Kiko Casilla, the second choice keeper who is good enough to contend for the starting job.
The transfer didn’t happen. The two clubs not only failed themselves as capable entities who should be above this type of stupidity, but they also failed these two men. When transfers are spoken in general football crowds, it’s seen as a simple spending of cash for an athlete. It’s happened so many times that the process and the complexities behind it are after-thoughts. You have the money, you want a player, you buy him. Some even do it when they don’t have the money.
For players though, it’s a huge move. It’s an uprooting of life. To have to move everything just as you were settling down is frustrating and it is no easy task by far. Especially for those players with children -- like Navas, who has a young son -- who then has to snatch their offspring away from their friends, school and familiar surroundings for a new country and city where they may not have a chance to settle at either. Because if football has proved anything, it’s that you can be sold in the blink of an eye.
In De Gea’s situation, it’s heartbreaking and embarrassing. His heart and mind had been set on the move and it is not a far stretch to assume that he had informed his family and friends that everything would go through. He was ready to leave and the club knew it. He was even already in Spain at the time. Now he has to go back to Manchester with that indignity and face a team that knows that he does not want to be there. And he has to play for them as his national team coach has made it clear that it would be hard to pick him for the Euros if he is not playing.
So now on one hand, Navas has to perform for a team that has made it clear that they do not want him and on the other, De Gea has to do the same for a team that he does not want.
There will of course be calls from fans that the two players should be professionals about it. That they should get on with it. But it speaks to the volume of the situation that Navas has been given time off from his national team duties in order to cope with the situation and it will be safe to assume that De Gea will also need time before he is mentally ready to do his job again. They are people, and this has taken an emotional and mental toll on them as it would anyone else in their own professions.
So they will have to be professional about it, there’s no other choice. De Gea will either leave for free at the end of his current contract or he will be pressured to sign an extension in order to be allowed to play. And Navas will linger at Real Madrid until they ultimately replace him. They will have to move on.
But during the incoming tirade of berating the players should they fail to perform or falter in acting accordingly to the fans fantasies of athletes as robots, it should not be forgotten who was incompetent and careless; these two clubs toyed with the lives of both players and cared only to be seen as right in the eyes of the public, while the players have to deal with the consequences of the fallout. The clubs are rich and still get to keep very good players on their teams, while the actual human beings involved get nothing but excuses.
