Betis Eye Permanent Antony Move, Face Funding Challenge

Manchester United may be able to move off at least one of their past transfer failures this summer as Real Betis is looking to fund a permanent move for Brazilian winger Antony.

The step out of the spotlight suited Antony after a dreadful year and a half saw him dropped from the United starting XI and loaned out to the green side of Seville. He recorded nine goals and five assists in 26 appearances for Real Betis, and the club’s director Manu Fajardo has made it known to whoever will listen that he wants to bring the winger back on a permanent basis.

“We all have to be aware that this is a very complex operation. Given the player’s level and his recent career at Real Betis, it’s not an easy transaction,” Fajardo said to Estadio Deportivo. “But, as long as Antony hasn’t committed to a third party, we, with the utmost humility, will play our cards to be able to opt for Antony. I insist, despite this being a complex operation, we will try to carry it out in different ways without compromising the club. In the end, the most important thing is also the sustainability of the club. We will try to be creative, as we have been in the past so that Antony can be here. Today, the market is open. As I said before, it’s very dynamic, and we are part of that game.”

Isn’t it wild how excellent sporting directors in any country across the planet are just experts at saying very little with so many words?

Anyway, put simply, United want a decent fee for Antony and Betis can’t pay it yet on top of the wages Antony would be owed. Antony makes around 200k/week from United, and the highest-paid Real Betis player is Isco on about 100k/week, so those numbers won’t quite line up either, and given the massive wealth gap between the top and bottom of La Liga, you likely won’t find a Spanish club outside of Madrid or Barcelona who can/will pay those wages to Antony.

However, Fajardo seems to think his club are in the game, so maybe Antony can make it happen with wage cut. There was a rumor that he is willing, but of course that only turned into another avenue of slandering players by some fans who would rather blame players for being overpaid than the club that overpaid them.

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