Laurent Blanc

Laurent Blanc: Hanging up his boots. (631 words)
by andycharger - written on 15.08.02 (Very useful, 67 readings)
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Manchester United have always won my commendation. This is because I judge them as being one of the most shrewd operators in the transfer and scouting markets. When a new talent emerges, they are normally the first to spot it and nurture it on to fruition. When a hot propspect is making his name for himself somewhere in the world, Manchester are there with the best deal that both club and player cannot refuse. So why was it that Alex Fergusson threw all of his credability out of the window by buying a late 30's central defender with all the pace of tortoise? Turn the clock back to his purchase. Jaap Stam had just been released. The book he ...

Larry White (1394 words)
by northerner - written on 12.08.02 (Very useful, 177 readings)
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The sale of Jaap Stam to Lazio for £15m was one of the more unexpected transfers in recent years. Although only a handful of people will ever know why Stam left, it was clear Manchester United would have to replace him with someone of similar stature. His replacement, Laurent Blanc, the foremost centre back of his generation, was signed from Inter Milan on a free transfer on a one year contract. For Inter Milan, it was an opportunity to remove one of the biggest wage earners from a club massively in debt and struggling financially. From the start, it was always clear that Blanc would face a difficult time from the media. Many were critical of the decision to sell ...

Laurent Blanc: Defending The Defender (1205 words)
by GLT1 - written on 09.01.02 (Very useful, 86 readings)
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In recent months, much has been written about Laurent Blanc, not all of it particularly pleasant, but I think that he has largely been the victim of a group desperate to prove that Sir Alex Ferguson was wrong in selling the defensive rock that was Jaap Stam and replacing him with the veteran French-man. I feel though that while perhaps some of the criticism has been justified, that much of it has just been over-the-top and when he has put in good performances he has recived little praise. I will not harp on about Blanc's illustrious past too much, because the fact that he has been successful at previous clubs (Marseille, Barcelona and Internazionale ...