Multiple UK media outlets, including The Telegraph, have reported that Everton have rejected a £12 million bid for star defender Leighton Baines.
The suitors? None other than Manchester United, former Toffee David Moyes’ new club, who clearly feel the need to reinforce the left-back position.
The pursuit would make sense if the Red Devils direly needed to upgrade in this position, but current incumbent Patrice Evra is coming off the back of a much-improved season.
Which, then, is the answer: Moyes’ former charge or Sir Alex Ferguson’s stalwart?
Analysing Baines
Calls for Baines to start over Ashley Cole at the 2014 FIFA World Cup should England qualify are justified—he’s developed into a truly stunning player in the prime of his career.
Moyes favoured the left-hand side at Everton due to Baines’ immense attacking presence, interlinking superbly with winger Steven Pienaar and attacking midfielder Marouane Fellaini.
He’s contributed heavily to the remodelling of the modern full-back, bringing the “Baines underlap” into vogue. He would frequently surge down the line, but mix things up by coming inside and entering the box—an impressive display of a well-rounded game.
Making himself unpredictable allows him to dominate week in, week out, and that shows in his statistics for the season.
WhoScored? measured the former Wigan Athletic full-back at an astonishing 3.1 key passes made per game, second only to the mercurial David Silva (3.3) and above the likes of Juan Mata, Steven Gerrard and Gareth Bale in the English Premier League.
He delivered an average of 2.8 accurate crosses per game, the best tally across Europe’s top five leagues measured by Opta stats and head and shoulders above anyone else in the Premier League.
Put bluntly, he’s an offensive weapon. But what about his defensive skill set?
He’s not a Rafael type of player, one who ignores his defensive responsibilites for big chunks of games. Defensively he is reliable, working very hard to get back down the line and track his winger.
Averaging a modest 2.4 tackles per game—most of them inside his own final third—it’s clear he can put a foot in, but he’s not a top-of-the-range interceptor and tackler.
At 28 he’s now smoothing over into a well-rounded player, but it’s obvious where his strengths lay: Sublime delivery, marauding runs and great teamwork means any side Baines is on is the dominant one.
Analysing Evra
Evra had tough 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns, but bounced back in a big way last season.
He’s now 32 years old, a seasoned veteran, and there were suspicions he might be let go due to his poor performances. The defensive side of his game was slipping, while he was far less penetrative in attack; consistent bad calls and misjudgements in the final third were leading to counterattacks, and the French was attracting the wrath of his own fans.
The 2012-13 season was one of his best, though, and it was borne out of a change in philosophy from Sir Alex Ferguson.
The recruitment of Robin van Persie allowed Manchester United to switch to a 4-4-2 formation, with Rooney and RvP dropping in and out of the forward line to maintain a free-flowing system.
Both strikes adapted quickly to one another, and their fluency allowed Man Utd to change their mode of attack every time they went forward.
Watch 10 different Man Utd attacks from a single game and you’ll notice different players are involved each time. The quick surge forward meant whoever was on hand to attack did so, allowing Evra to steam forward from deep with space to run into.
The transformation was remarkable, and he tallied five goals and five assists for the season off 34 starts.
In United’s UEFA Champions League battles he was superb, performing incredibly well in a disciplined role against Real Madrid and Angel Di Maria.
Perhaps the signing of Alexander Buttner encouraged him to make sure he kept his place, perhaps the tactical switch allowed him to re-find his best form.
Whatever the reason, he ended the season as a top-five left-back in the Premier League.
Conclusion
It seems a strange time to bid for Baines (after years of speculated interest) even if Moyes has only just become manager.
Swapping one for the other would be no detriment to the Manchester United side, and by all accounts Baines had a better season than Evra this year.
He’s four years younger, hungry and familiar with the manager—from this perspective, the deal looks a cracker.
But how high will Man Utd go to pay for him?
As an Englishman his fee is inflated, and £12 million is already a fair chunk. ESPN have suggested Evra is off to nouveau-riche AS Monaco should the Baines transfer go through, and this creates a certain amount of animosity for Moyes during his first few months in charge.
Have your say! Who do you think is the better player?
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