Berbatov Should be Sold if £15m Bid is Offered

Dimitar Berbatov is a fantastic football player and a top professional for Manchester United. That much has been confirmed in the crazy season the Bulgarian has experienced at Old Trafford, from the highs of scoring some fantastic goals on the way to becoming the Premier League's top scorer to the low of being left out of the Champions League Final squad. However, despite affirming his commitment to Manchester United for next season admirably, it has been revealed that Berbatov will not be signing an extension to his contract at United.

With only one year left, Sir Alex Ferguson offered Berbatov a one year extension to his contract before the Champions League Final, and Berbatov did not sign. He said that he is happy to stay at Manchester United, fight for a first team place and ride out the rest of his £80,000 a week contract to allow him to leave on a free transfer at the end of next season.

Now, however much you like Berbatov for his graciousness and the certain vulnerability he showed when he told the world of the shame that came over him from being left out of the Champions League Final squad, you cannot see leaving the guy in the squad for a year only for him to leave for a free a good deal for the club. Berbatov cost the club £30 million plus Friazer Campbell on loan - he didn't come cheap, and it was a last minute deal involving a lot of stress and strained relations with Tottenham. Surely United must take some money from a sale rather than just release him?
Berbatov said on Bulgarian TV:

"I will stay, I will fight for the 20th title. If I were an easy quitter, I would never have made it this far. Everything at Manchester United starts from scratch for me on July 4."

"There will be new finals and we will be fighting for new titles. I am moving ahead. When you go through difficult times, you should not quit."

Okay, he will not quit, but he will not commit either, according to Goal.com, so it is not a great situation for United if they want to take in some money from his sale. PSG have apparently opened the bidding for Berbatov at £13 million, and there are several clubs interested in his signature, including Bayern Munich, and some have even said Tottenham.

Manchester United may be able to offload Berbatov to his former club Tottenham in some sort of player plus cash exchange for Luka Modric whom United have reportedly made their prime target, though Tottenham are far from willing to let go of him at any price.

Don't get me wrong, I would love Berbatov to stay if he was signing a new contract - a one year extension, I simply object to United allowing him to run down his current contract and allow him to go for free when you consider how much was paid for him. I hope that if Berbatov truly has decided not renew his contract or extend it, then any offer for him is very seriously considered.

With Owen recently signing an extension, Welbeck and Macheda returning to fight for a starting place with Rooney and Hernandez, competition is going to be increasing tough, so, it pains me to say it, perhaps Berbatov leaving wouldn't be such a bad thing in terms of the young players chances in the first team.

I trust Sir Alex Ferguson to make the right decision on the matter, and whatever happens to Berbatov, I am very grateful for what he has done at United, especially this season. He is a model professional and a quality footballer, and he still has game in him - whether he chooses to play them at Manchester United is another matter.

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4 Reasons Sampdoria Should Go Down And Other Matchday 33 Reviews

Two teams made giant strides this weekend, in opposite directions. One continues a march towards the top, now far ahead and likely to win its first scudetto in eight years. The other continues its awful slide and looks likely to be relegated. Fittingly, the former trounced the latter 3-0 in a game that summed up the season that each of the clubs is having.

AC Milan look increasingly likely to win the league this year, winning on a weekend that saw both potential challengers lose. Massimiliano Allegri’s side did all they needed to in demolishing Sampdoria, whereas Inter shockingly lost to Parma and Napoli were suspensefully defeated by Udinese. With only five rounds to go, Milan are six points clear at the top, with the second and third placed teams still have to face each other. Allegri’s side should be molto allegro come the end of the season.

Sampdoria fans, however, are anything but. The season that began so promisingly, with Champions’ League qualification, has quickly unraveled into a nightmare. The side are the worst in Serie A on recent form and have finally sank into a relegation position, on 18th. In fact, I hope they get relegated. There, I’ve said it.

Why? I’m glad you’ve asked. Here are four reasons.

1. Plain and simply, they’re awful recently. Out of the last six games, Sampdoria have won none, tied once, and lost five times. They’ve scored a whopping three goals and conceded ten. They are the worst team in the league based on recent form- worse than Bari. Bari! That’s relegation standard stuff.


2. Plain and simply, they’ve been awful all year. Since Serie A resumed after Christmas, the side have won twice. They beat Roma, which is hardly an achievement since they always do. Then they beat Bologna. That’s it. That was their 2011: 2 wins out of 17. It’s hard to argue that a side deserves to stay up when they can’t seem to beat


3. President Garrone deserves to be fired. This is the man who froze out Antonio Cassano and sent him to Milan for nothing. Then he sold Giampaolo Pazzini to Inter. To replace them? He brought in Massimo Maccarone and Kiko Macheda, that amazingly prolific pair that has three goals between them. Their defense has actually been quite decent- they’ve only conceded 39 goals, two more than Inter: it’s their offense that is holding them back. At only 26 goals scored all season, they’re averaging .787 per game and have the second worst offense in the league.


4. They’ve become the new Bari. Earlier this season, everyone wanted to play Bari. Nearly every game was a guaranteed win against the southern side, who have somewhat rightened the ship in recent weeks, no longer automatically losing but often drawing, and sometimes (read: almost never) even winning. Sampdoria is now Serie A’s punching bag.

As for the rest of the league, Serie A is quickly settling. Roma’s loss and Juventus’s tie means that it’s all but down to Udinese and Lazio for that fourth spot. The bottom of the table is still up for grabs however, with the exception of Bari’s spot. Lecce, Sampdoria, Brescia, Cesena, and Parma are all within three points of the drop zone, at best. The real race in Serie A is no longer for the title, but to stay in the league.

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A £20 Million Bid for Berbatov Should be Accepted

You could say that Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney are like beauty and the beast. Watching the Bulgarian with the ball at his feet is a joy to behold, as he effortlessly glides past players with the silky skills of a suave, smooth and polished perfectionist. Meanwhile, Rooney charges around, with his undoubted quality, bullishly tracking back, rocketing cross field passes and sometimes getting involved in incidents he really shouldn't be.

You wouldn't, for example ever see Dimitar Berbatov screaming obscenities into a television camera after scoring a goal. That isn't his style, but both players are undeniably Manchester United quality, and are both passionate about their football.

However, the rumours circulating claim that Sir Alex Ferguson is preparing to sell the "beauty" of this pairing for an amount in excess of £20 million. Manchester United's top scorer, who is also the Premier Leagues top scorer with 20 goals, seems to have fallen out of favour with the United manager as his starts in games have become all to infrequent. Javier Hernandez's growing reputation as a guaranteed goalscorer at important times has seen him propelled into a starting spot alongside Rooney, whose place in the team seems more or less guaranteed.

Bayern Munich have apparently noticed this, and will reportedly attempt to persuade Berbatov to come back to the country where he made his name - with Bayern Leverkusen. The Germans are supposedly preparing a £22 million bid for the striker who was bought by United in 2008 for £30.75 million.

After two seasons which saw the Bulgarian score a total of 26 in 86 games, he was labelled rather harshly as "Berbaflop". He had cost a lot of money, and at his age, (now 30), it was beginning to look like a bad buy from Ferguson. This season has proved all of his critics wrong, with a stunning total of vital goals in vital games including a hat-trick against Liverpool. He has now almost scored the same amount of goals this season than he did in his firs to season's at Old Trafford, yet starting games is becoming a rarity.

I like Berbatov - he has grown on me - especially this season, but I think if United are offered £22 million like is being reported, then Sir Alex should take it. It would be sad to see Berbatov go after what he has done for United this season, and his incredible touch and fantastic hold up play will be missed by many. His calm, collected figure will be missed too, but at his age, £22 million is a fantastic deal, and one that will not be equalled in the future if this opportunity is passed.

United could use the money this summer to sign a younger striker or midfielder, someone who can contribute to the team for many years to come. A central midfielder is what is needed, and a player similar to Owen Hargreaves who is the engine of a side.

It will be sad to see Berbatov go. He is a brilliant player, with a unique style. Strong when he needs to be, quick when he wants to be, and deadly in front of goal - always.


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