In the 10 months since David De Gea left Manchester United, the highest-profile free agent on the market has worn a different club’s kit. The red shirt, however, was for his esports team, Rebels, rather than wearing the Premier League’s number 1 shirt.
The 33-year-old Spaniard has been active in managing his gaming team, which is “united by our rebellious and nonconformist spirit” according to its mission statement. De Gea rebelled against the notion that players without a contract should take the first opportunity. He is expected to be out for an entire season and his next fate looks increasingly complex.
He spent Easter in Barbados with his pop star wife Edurne, who he married last summer after leaving United. De Gea played tennis and spent time on the beaches of the Caribbean island, which was as far away from the usual games as possible before the end of the football season.
De Gea’s sabbatical is a modern football parable about a player who went from being the world’s highest-paid goalkeeper to training alone with a personal trainer, cones and mini-obstacles for his solo training.
Since playing in the FA Cup final last June, there appeared to be opportunities for clubs to explore the possibility of an excellent free transfer for Bosman. De Gea is the current holder of the Premier League Golden Gloves award and will hold that title for another five weeks.
Even on the eve of the January transfer window closing, there was a chance of signing for Nottingham Forest. It seemed like the perfect storm. Forest wanted a goalkeeper for the second half of the season and De Gea’s situation meant they wouldn’t have to pay a transfer fee, which would be healthy on the balance sheet. De Gea would have the platform to put himself in the sights of potential clubs for next season.
But according to Forest sources, this never came close to completion. The search for a goalkeeper came to an end and they moved to Matz Sels from Strasbourg, which cost them £5 million.
At the beginning of the campaign, De Gea was discussed in Newcastle when Nick Pope suffered an injury that would rule him out for most of the season. Eddie Howe ended up with Martin Dubravka as a cover. De Gea earned around £375,000 a week at United when they were in the Champions League, while Newcastle’s spending plans were later revealed in the January window. They didn’t sign a first-team player.
Outside the Premier League, Real Madrid seemed the obvious first route back for De Gea when Thibaut Courtois tore an anterior cruciate ligament. De Gea used to play for rivals Atletico, but this would not be a Sol Campbell situation. They were almost expected to make an approach, albeit a calmer one than in 2015, when a faulty fax machine prevented documentation of a deal.
The call from Real never arrived. They asked for Kepa Arrizabalaga to be loaned, who has since lost his place to Andriy Lunin. Real will be on the hunt again for another goalkeeper this summer when Kepa returns to Chelsea but, as De Gea discovered, this is a crowded market where there are not enough international goalkeeper spots available.
Although De Gea is a free transfer, he would still cost a significant amount in wages to earn half the salary he received at United. Money has not been an issue for the Saudi Pro League, although its priority has been to attack players to keep an eye on the competition. They made a bid for Mohamed Salah last summer after signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema.
Edouard Mendy and Bono moved to the SPL for relatively modest fees compared to outfield players, so during the January window there was almost no spending on any position, let alone goalkeeper. They are ready to spend big in the summer again and budgets are being worked out, but whether goalkeeping is an important area remains to be seen.
MLS has been seen as a viable option for players leaving the Premier League, with the American lifestyle appealing. Inter Miami, owned by David Beckham and with Lionel Messi driving subscriptions for Apple TV coverage, were linked with De Gea, but it was another move that failed to materialise.
They started the MLS season with Drake Callender, whose $355,917 annual pay package was less than De Gea’s weekly salary while at United. World Cup-winning captain Hugo Lloris has crossed the Atlantic, where his annual salary at Los Angeles FC is £277,000.
As the summer window approaches, De Gea will need the following: a team that demands a goalkeeper, that has a decent wage budget and that also matches his own ambition. It’s a checklist complicated by other goalies on the market. Australian international Mat Ryan will be present, along with Belgian international Koen Casteels, when his contract ends at Wolfsburg. Both would be cheaper free transfers than De Gea.
There are others who could be looking for regular first-team games, such as Aaron Ramsdale at Arsenal. And others are threatened with relegation. Of the members of England’s last squad, Jordan Pickford and James Trafford could end up relegated.
It’s rare for a player to take a sabbatical and return to the highest level. It’s not unheard of, but rare. De Gea will compete against goalkeepers who trained with teams last year, many of whom also play regularly. De Gea had a year off. He got married, played a lot of padel and tennis and attended a United Women’s game when they played Paris Saint-Germain Feminines in October.
For years to come, it will be a matter of a pub quiz: name the goalie who won the Golden Gloves only to spend the next year as a free agent. The answer is David De Gea. The answer to where he will play next has yet to be decided.
