Is The Transfer Of Victor Valdes To Standard Liege A Blessing Or A Curse?

"Personally am a bit divided . Obviously, he (Valdes) is a very good player, a great player, but the signing was not where it was most needed. ""Personally am a bit divided . Obviously, he Valdes is a very good player
, a great player, but the signing was not where it was most needed. Guillaume Hubert is a very good player for us at the moment , so why replace him ? He showed all his qualities in recent weeks. We have the chance to qualify for the final of the Belgian Cup thanks to him".  "He is young but a great player like Valdes will only be positive . As I say, he is young so it is there to learn", this is a view shared by Standard Liege's winger Mathieu Dossevi on the new arrival of former Barce Goalkeeper Victor Valdes from Manchester United. 

To analyse properly a look at the Belgian league table is important as it shows Standard Liege lying in 7th position 15 points adrift of leaders Gent who have shown that their qualification for the Champions League second round from a group comprising of European giants  Valencia, Lyon and Zenith is no fluke. Standard Liege have conceded a whopping 36 goals while scoring only 30, becoming the second highest goal conceding team in the top 10 of the table. Also the team has lost nine games which is also the highest for the teams in top 10 of the Belgian Pro League. While  it cannot be denied that Hubert hasn't been exceptional, it should be seen as a coup that a club with the status of Standard Liege has succeeded in wooing a top player like Valdes to the club. 

Valdes may not be as sharp as he used to be but at  34, he still has many years ahead of him especially in the goal keeping area. It is a good risk that is worth taking as Standard Liege are not paying any transfer fee for his services and are also going to grow their commercial sector with his signing if properly managed. With a litany of games to be played in the league and cup competitions, there should be enough space for both Valdes and Hubert. As a young keeper, Hubert has a lot to learn in the game and their is no better model to do that than Valdes. 

While his move to Manchester United didn't work according to plan, it is worthy of note that Louis Van Gaal is a manager who has clashed with several big players who all progressed after he was sacked or they were sold . Such list includes Rivaldo, Di Maria, Frank Ribery, Lucio to mention but a few. No manager in his right senses will bench David De Gea in his present form for any goal keeper, and hence Valdes' move was dead on arrival. Valdes needs time and less pressure to do what he has done over the years . Standard Liege must count themselves lucky for having him in their ranks .