Pedro: Louis Van Gaal Not Why I Chose Chelsea FC Over Manchester United
Pedro has made clear that Louis Van Gaal wasn’t the factor that made him snub Manchester United for Chelsea FC
In the heist of the summer transfer window, Chelsea FC somehow hijacked Manchester United’s attempts to sign Pedro from Barcelona with the forward choosing Stamford Bridge instead. In the face of rumours suggesting that Louis Van Gaal was the reason why the Spaniard went cold on the United deal, the player has denied such speculation.
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Speaking to Spanish publication Marca (via Sky Sports), Pedro admitted that he was unhappy with the way that Van Gaal had treated fellow countrymen Victor Valdes and David De Gea but it was more Ed Woodward’s dilly-dallying that put him off an Old Trafford move.
"It’s true that I don’t like that treatment for my colleagues…I don’t believe it’s fair but it didn’t influence my decision. I just saw that Manchester didn’t take that move forward, that they were taking too long. Chelsea were more decisive."
The United boss has come under much scrutiny for his man-management since he arrived last summer. While the global footballing behemoth limped to a paltry four position last season despite a mouthwatering outlay of money on new signings, issues and fallouts between the Dutchman and his players provided the running support story throughout the year.
Angel Di Maria’s form fell off a cliff and his relationship with Van Gaal froze over, so much so that he was offloaded this summer to Paris St Germain after just one season. The ex-Netherlands coach has also reportedly fallen out with Robin Van Persie, who too departed this summer, and Luke Shaw.
Meanwhile, in the incidents that are more relevant to Pedro, Van Gaal seems to have problems with both Valdes and De Gea. The former joined the Red Devils in January of this year on a free. However, he was often asked to play with the U21 side and only made two appearances for the senior team.
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The relationship between the Barcelona veteran and the United manager deteriorated to the point that Van Gaal publicly placed him on the transfer list after he had supposedly refused to play for the reserves.
On the other hand, De Gea was Man Utd’s star player last season and almost single-handedly won them European qualification. He produced save after save as United’s leaky defence was all too often penetrated. His performances led to him being strongly linked with Real Madrid over the summer, a saga which culminated in the absolutely bizarre farce in which the paperwork for a Madrid switch was completed minutes after the transfer deadline.
Consequentially, throughout the early part of this campaign, amusing pictures of De Gea, Valdes, and third-choice Anders Lindegaard (who has now moved on) sitting side-by-side in the stands during United games have frequently appeared on TV.
Meanwhile, in what may seem surprising, Valdes in fact did little to discourage Pedro from joining the Manchester giants.
"I spoke to Victor a lot. He told me that United was very good and there was a great fan following, but that his only problem was the situation with the coach.But Victor absolutely did not recommend against signing for United. He spoke very well of the club."
He did, however, admit that Jose Mourinho was indeed a factor in his decision.
"I had an important chat with Jose Mourinho and he said many things that I liked to hear. That, combined with the possibility to live in London, was what made me decide."
Stories have emerged about how Chelsea managed to steal Pedro, and it appears that the club’s personal approach is what tipped the balance in their favour. Cesc Fabregas and his girlfriend were also reportedly drafted in to make important phone calls to the player and his wife respectively.
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While Pedro denies that Van Gaal wasn’t the issue, it is hard to believe that the problems with the pair of goalkeepers didn’t have some effect, especially with regard to Valdes. Valdes has been a respectable stalwart of the both Barcelona and the game, and someone Pedro evidently looked up to.
Nevertheless, he is now a Chelsea FC player and that is all that matters. Let’s hope that he brings some cheer to the Stamford Bridge faithful when the Premier League resumes next week.
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