Jamie Carragher has undertaken a comparison of the defensive midfielder acquisitions by Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United in recent times.
In his assessment, he suggests that Arsenal and Chelsea made more favourable choices by opting for younger prospects like Declan Rice and Moise Caicedo, as opposed to Manchester United’s acquisition of the more experienced Casemiro.
United invested significantly in securing Casemiro’s services during the previous season, which has proven to be a commendable addition to their squad.
However, Casemiro’s age, at 31, indicates that he is closer to the twilight of his playing career or potentially exploring lucrative opportunities, such as those in Saudi Arabia.
In contrast, Carragher highlights the choices made by Arsenal and Chelsea in signing younger talents like Declan Rice and Moise Caicedo. Rice, aged 24, recently achieved success with West Ham in winning the Conference League. His youth, hunger for accomplishments and potential for growth are noted as assets that bode well for both him and his respective clubs.
Carragher writes in the Daily Telegraph:
“The prices for [Enzo] Fernandez, Rice and Caicedo are astronomical. They are also good deals. The proof of that is the £70million Manchester United paid last summer for Casemiro. The Brazilian will end up costing United more than Arsenal and Chelsea paid for Rice and Caicedo. Caicedo and Rice are examples of thinking ahead – going big now to save cash for the next six or seven years in which they will assume their role.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
We broke our transfer record to sign Rice, but he is a player who will be worth the money and we can be sure he will stay with us for the long term.
Declan Rice and Havertz alone won’t cut it, Edu Gasper the sporting director and the owners Stan and Josh Kroenke has to continue the spending.
After such an impressive start and an equally entertaining campaign, the promise and opportunity for the forthcoming campaign is too great to ignore.
So when Utd replace Casemiro it will cost them more over the long run. He’s probably right but Utd can afford it and Casemiro is a top player, and I think Utd fans are very happy with Casemiro for the time being