Is Harry Maguire worth the £80 million asking price?
Manchester United are reported to be closing in on an £80 million deal for Leceister City center-back Harry Maguire. While it is clear that the Red Devils need reinforcements in the center-back position, the question remains as to whether Harry Maguire is the right fit for the club and if the English international is worth the £80 million that will make him the most expensive defender of all time.
The Manchester United center-back situation is dire, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling had a below-average 2018/19 season and the pre-season has seen an out-of-form Eric Bailly pick up what looks like a serious knee injury. The only good news for the club is the continual improvement that Victor Lindelof has been showing over the past two seasons, making him a first-team regular. If Maguire does arrive, the most probable first-team center-back pairing would be Lindelof and Maguire.
What will Harry Maguire's role in the Manchester United starting 11 be?
Manchester United have been attempting to find a second center-back who can complement the playstyle of Victor Lindelof for almost two whole seasons. Lindelof is a ball-playing center-back who relies on timely tackling, cutting passing lanes and early clearances.
In the 2018/19 season, the Swedish international had 1.3 successful tackles per game, 3.9 clearances, and 0.8 pass interceptions. Furthermore, he received only 3 yellow cards in his 40 appearances in all competitions and maintained a successful pass completion rate of nearly 90% in the Premier League.
In the early stages of the 2017/18 season, Eric Bailly impressed as a physically imposing center-back option and partnered Lindelof in the Manchester United backline. However, injuries and erratic defensive performances have reduced his role to merely a squad player for the club.
Maguire's performances for Leceister suggest that he could be the right candidate to partner Lindelof in the Manchester United defense. Maguire is a very efficient ball-playing center-back who can also serve as an imposing figure in the United backline.
As of last season, the English international managed a successful tackle, nearly 5 clearances and 1.2 pass interceptions a game. Furthermore, the player was dribbled past only a remarkable 0.2 times a game. All of this while maintaining a successful pass completion rate of nearly 86% and playing 6.2 successful long balls a game in the Premier League.
Despite his physical brand of defending, the player received only 6 yellow cards in 32 appearances. Further, he managed to win a significant number of aerial battles and is a threat from set-pieces with the player scoring 3 goals last season. The English center-back can be a major asset to a Manchester United defense that is lacking in both depth and quality.
Should the Red Devils cough up £80 million for the English international?
Should the £80 million deal go through, Harry Maguire would become the most expensive defender in world football overtaking Liverpool's Virgil Van Dijk. Reliable online sources such as Transfermarkt value the English international at £50 million but Leceister City have made it clear that they won't accept anything lesser than £80 million for their first team center-back.
To respond to the question of whether Manchester United should go ahead and pay the £80 million, let us compare Van Dijk's performance for Southampton with that of Maguire's for Leicester. Statistically, Maguire comes out the better player among the two with Van Dijk getting the better of the English center-back only in the number of aerial duels won.
However, Van Dijk has been flawless since moving to Liverpool and is arguably one of the best center-backs in Europe at present. In case the Maguire deal does go through, the pressure of justifying the price tag will fall onto both the player and the club. However, paying £80 million for Maguire considering the £75 million that Liverpool paid for a statistically weaker center-back in Van Dijk could be worth it.
Even though Maguire is an excellent prospect, paying £80 million for a center-back will be a leap of faith on behalf of the club. Manchester United fans will hope that the £80 million deal brings out the best in the player and he can justify his price tag. Based on his performances in the past, however, Maguire is a player worth the gamble.