Sami Khedira has been linked with a move to West Ham United (Getty Images)
According to Goal.com (h/t The Sun), former Manchester United target Sami Khedira is on his way out of Juventus as the club looks to terminate his contract and clear the wage bill. He has been informed by new manager Andrea Pirlo that he will not be a part of his plans for this season.
Manchester United have had a lowly transfer window with just the signing of Donny Van De Beek from Ajax (source – Manutd.com).
Sami Khedira started his youth career in TV Oeffingen in 1992 and then moved to VfB Stuttgart’s youth side after 3 years. In 2006, the 33-year-old German broke into the first-team. He stayed at the club for four seasons and made 132 appearances, scoring 16 and providing 19 assists.
Real Madrid came calling in 2010 and Khedira made the move to Spain. For 5 seasons, he was a vital part of the Blancos’ midfield and was used extensively by Mourinho and then Ancelotti. He played 161 games in Madrid and scored 9 goals for them (source – Transfermarkt).
Khedira joined Juventus on a free transfer in 2015. He has been a valuable signing for the Italian champions, with 145 games to his name. He is a veteran of the German national team as well, with 77 caps. The midfielder has won a bunch of trophies in his career, with the highlights being the World Cup and Champions League in 2014.
Despite the poor transfer window United are having, Khedira isn’t an option the club should pursue. They are well stocked in midfield with the likes of Pogba, Matic, Fred, McTominay, Andreas Pereira, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Bruno Fernandes and Van de Beek.
While Khedira may be a decorated player, his best days are past him. He can no longer provide the steel and control in midfield that he once used to provide. At 33, he doesn’t fit the kind of players United have recruited in the last year.
It’s a free transfer but United should avoid going for the German. It will just add to an already stacked midfield. United need to pursue other targets in other required positions such as central defence and right-wing.
They need to put all their efforts and time into getting players for those positions instead of pushing for Sami Khedira.
