By David Lee
Wheatley
Beckham bandwagon pulls into Paris
Football superstar David Beckham trumped all
other stories on the last day of the January transfer window when moving to
Paris Saint-Germain after deciding to leave the MLS and LA Galaxy for one last
challenge in Europe.
There has been a mixed response to the signing
from all corners of the globe; some responded with excitement at Beckham’s
return to European football, while others were highly sceptical at the exact
motives of the cash-rich Parisian club’s acquisition of brand Beckham.
So what will the 37-year-old midfielder bring
to a team already heavily loaded with talent in his position due to the likes
of Javier Pastore, Marco Verratti and Lucas Moura?
Is the move simply a marketing ploy to further
raise the profile of the nouveau riche Arabian-owned club?
There’s no question about Beckham’s ability to
pass and cross a football; he is still undoubtedly one of the most accurate
crossers of a ball in the world. His fitness levels may be questioned at the
age of 37, but by all accounts he is in fantastic shape and trains as well as
any of his team-mates. Beckham put himself in a position to get a big move by training
with English Premier League side Arsenal in the run-up to his transfer to Paris
and therefore his match sharpness should only need a little tweaking. Indeed,
word out of PSG suggests he will be ready to feature against arch-rivals
Olympique Marseille on 24 February.
The biggest query over Beckham’s chances of
making an impact in Paris on the field is the presence of so many top players
in the squad’s midfield department. Is head coach Carlo Ancelotti likely to
choose Beckham over his younger (and very expensive) stars in a big game? That
would appear to be an unlikely scenario, especially with Ancelotti having
suggested at the end of December that PSG weren’t interested in signing the
Englishman.
However, Beckham could be an impact player
with 20-30 minutes to go in a tight game with his passing, crossing and
set-piece deliveries causing havoc amongst opposition defences. He could change
a game with one well-placed cross and that would prove invaluable to PSG’s
charge towards the Ligue 1 title.
Off the field, there is no doubt that Beckham
will bring a lot of limelight to the club, as well as a lot of merchandising
sales. It is also likely that his presence will bring more ticket sales at all of
the stadia around France, which will benefit the French game as a whole. The
revelation that he will donate his whole salary for the initial five-month stay
in the French capital to a local children’s hospital was a fantastic gesture,
but also the kind of PR that the club could have only dreamt of before the
arrival of the genial Londoner.
As far as can be seen, the player’s
partnership with PSG looks to be a win-win situation for both player and club.
Beckham seems to feel he has still something to prove and, judging by his press
conference on the day he signed, he still has the fire and passion to force his
way into the team and to make an impression.
If
given the opportunity, Beckham will be able to change games and also change
sceptical minds about his time at the Parcs des Princes.Follow me on Twitter @davewh1980
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