da bwin： Check your advent calendars, boys and girls! It may feel like only yesterday you opened that first door to unveil a delicious lump of chocolate on December 1st, but we are now just eight days away from Christmas.
da betsul： Children up and down the country will be spending the next few days making sure their Christmas wishlists are perfect in time for Santa Claus’ visit on December 25th – but it’s a little-known fact that Premier League managers partake in the annual tradition as well.
After all, who is in need of some Christmas magic and festive cheer more than the unfortunate souls working in the endlessly chaotic and dramatic world of the English top flight? That goes double for Louis van Gaal, whose future at Old Trafford has been thrown into serious doubt since Manchester United were eliminated from the Champions League at the hands of Wolfsburg last week.
But the Dutchman is certain he’s been a good boy this year – so certain in fact, that he’s given us a sneak peak of his Christmas wishlist. Unsurprisingly, it’s bursting to the brim with Bundesliga stars.
RICARDO RODRIGUEZ
With resident left-back Luke Shaw potentially out until the end of the season after breaking his leg in September, a new No.3 certainly wouldn’t go amiss this Christmas.
In that regard, it’s hard to look past Wolfsburg’s Ricardo Rodriguez, who has emerged as one of the best attacking full-backs in Europe, let alone the Bundesliga, over the past few seasons.
Indeed, the Swiss international has claimed 13 goals, 29 assists and an incredible 180 created chances in his last 96 Bundesliga outings – the majority of which have been sourced from his world-class set piece deliveries.
Aged just 23, many top clubs have taken note of the 32-cap international’s impressive rise since arriving at the Volkswagen Arena from FC Zurich in January 2013.
But with three-and-a-half-years remaining on his current terms, Wolfsburg are unlikely to sell any time soon unless a monumental markup is involved.
PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG
Having scored the fewest goals of any side in the Premier League’s top six this season, with strike force Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial netting just five times between them, I’m sure Louis van Gaal would be delighted to find a more dependable goal threat under his tree this Christmas.
Enter Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who boasts the most league goals of any player involved Europe’s five leading top flights this season – a whopping 16 in 18 Bundesliga outings.
That brings the Gabon international’s total for the Black-Yellows to 68 in 119, but it’s the athletic element to Aubameyang’s game that could make him such an important addition to the United squad – possessing the penetrative pace and power they currently lack in the final third.
Dortmund reportedly value the 26-year-old at around £42million, but convincing them to sell midseason – especially considering they’re just five points behind league leaders Bayern Munich – will require a substantial premium on top.
MATS HUMMELS
Manchester United have spanned the globe searching for a viable alternative, yet no player addresses their need for a world-class ball-playing centre-back better than Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels.
The German international boasts an aerially dominant 6 foot 3 frame and an exceptional reading of the game, but it’s his Franz-Beckenbauer-esque ability to instigate attacks from deep positions, with ranging passes and surging runs on the ball, that Louis van Gaal craves most.
As a World Cup winner, Bundesliga winner and former Champions League finalist, the 27-year-old’s vast experience would be another integral asset to United’s relatively youthful backline.
The Dortmund skipper has snubbed the Red Devils’ sustained interest for the last two summers, but a little Christmas magic might see LVG finally get his man, especially considering Hummels’ contract expires at the end of the season and he’s reportedly had a few bust-ups with manager Thomas Tuchel in recent weeks.
ARJEN ROBBEN
Louis van Gaal has made no secret of his desire to sign a ‘speedy, creative’ winger and old ally Arjen Robben fits the bill perfectly.
The former Chelsea and Real Madrid man has made a career from combining scintillating dribbling speed with lethal long-range shooting, racking up 113 goals in 203 appearances for Bayern Munich.
He was one of the Netherlands’ leading performers under LVG’s direction at the 2014 World Cup, excelling in a one-man counter-attacking role alongside Robin van Persie, and would certainly add an injection of direct dynamism to United’s current wide options.
With his contract set to expire at the end of next season, this is undoubtedly the right time to make Bayern consider Robben’s long-term future at the Allianz Arena with a January bid.
But already aged 31, the veteran wide-man could become one of those presents that is unfortunately forgotten about by the time next Christmas comes around. Proneness to injury is another legitimate concern.
THOMAS MULLER
Make no mistake about it, all Louis van Gaal really wants this Christmas is a 6 foot 1 Bayern Munich forward named Thomas Muller.
Manchester United have made countless attempts to sign the world-class German since LVG took the Old Trafford helm in summer 2014 and it’s not hard to see why. He’s one of the most unique and talented attacking threats in world football, famed for blending physicality, industriousness and versatility with a consistent supply of goals.
Indeed, the 25-year-old has served the Bavarians as a striker, a No.10, a winger and even a central midfielder during his 329 appearances across all competitions, racking up 140 goals in the process. He’s also netted 10 times at the last two World Cups, claiming the Golden Boot in 2010 and firing Die Mannschaft to the title in 2014.
Having got his big break at the Allianz Arena under van Gaal, the Dutchman is desperate to bring the multipurpose attacker to United. Unfortunately, however, he’s on the verge of extending his Bayern contract until 2021.