http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_utd/6197153.stm If we get Sao Paolo as a feeder club it would be immense. :Banana:
However it would be difficult to get the young players over due to work permit issues. I have yet to see any evidence that these link ups with foreign clubs actually provide any benefit to the playing aspect of the club. There might be some commercial gain but that is about it. I suppose the only one that may have had some benefit is Man Utd and Antwerp.
What about Arsenal with Beveren? Toure and Eboue have been revelations for them. With regards to the Work Permits, we have lined up a 3rd Feeder Club in Belgium so that the players can be sent there for 2 years, and gain a Work Permit before joining United officially.
You have to question whether it would be worth it. If the player is that good they would still go to a Chelsea, Real Madrid, etc as that is where the money would be. As for the work permit situation, I am pretty sure it isn't that simple.
Clearly the issue of work permits & the ease (or not) in the way they are granted would be a key point in the partnership talks. I don't know the ins & outs of the work permit regulations but I'm sure whatever barriers there may be aren't surmountable & there'll be a way round it. In general though nice to see Utd attempting to build global partnerships though you get the feeling from this proposed link with Sao Paulo that they're looking to farm out younger players, get them some European experience before selling them to the likes of the G14 clubs. Though there's always the possibility that good players will come along who may not be able to cut it with the European elite but are more than capable for a club like Utd operating in the lower to mid reaches of the English Premiership. Be interesting to see how the story develops, a similar story broke pre-season regarding Sparta Rotterdam but nothing else has been heard since, nor about the unnamed Belgian club. Also, the timing of the story is interesting. Bit of publicity & spin prior to the January transfer window maybe?
if we could get the drop on any future brazilian stars , cant see it being negative in any way , dont forget in the past our then clueless board saved a couple of hundred grand buying alex sabella , instead of some prospect called maradona, wonder what became of him ?
