Marouane Fellaini finally sealed his move to Manchester United, after Everton stuck out long in the summer window to keep their superstar midfielder at the club, but reluctantly agreed when the Belgian submitted a transfer request on transfer deadline day, only to be signed by United for a hefty fee in the region of £27.5 million.
United boss David Moyes has been under immense pressure to make signings during his short stint at the club. The former Everton boss was selected by the club as the successor to the retired Sir Alex Ferguson, and has some big shoes to fill as the season has only kicked into its initial stages. Moyes entered a club where the transfers were conducted at a much greater scale, and the United supporters are aware of how selectively Moyes had to pick players out of the low budget Everton had set during his time at Goodison Park. The Toffees were facing financial issues which did not give them the liberty to spend money on big signings, but Moyes was instrumental in signing players like Fellaini and Steven Piennar, who have had an instant impact in the high intensity Barclays Premier League.
Fellaini has been a revelation under Moyes, and the Belgian arrived at Merseyside as a natural defensive midfielder who had the advantage of height and is built to muscle out the opposition. The 25-year old slowly became an integral part of the Everton squad, and underwent a transition in his style of play. Since Everton adopted a system where they depended on the midfield more than usual with players like Piennar, Mikel Arteta and Leon Osman chipping in with valuable contributions, Fellaini also adopted the attacking approach. This experiment by Moyes slowly gave high returns, as Fellaini became a vital threat for the opposition in the penalty area. His aerial ability allowed him rise up above defenders, and effective ball control gave him the liberty to shoot effectively, and contribute on the scoresheet.
According to Metro, Fellaini’s transfer request helped the move go through, leaving his team mate Leighton Baines to stay at Everton. At one time Felliani was linked to Arsenal and also Chelsea but let’s face if it he was going to leave Goodison Park it was always going to be to join up with his old manager Moyes plus he has come out since the transfer saying that it has always been his dream to play for United so signing Fellaini was always going to be like pushing water uphill.
Some have said that Arsenal would do better with Fellaini and United with Ozil but I think Arsenal have got the real superstar and you just can’t argue with that. Fellaini may become a superstar but Ozil is already there.