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Why the Premier League Can Do Without the Signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- Updated: April 27, 2016
Zlatan Ibrahimovic talks a lot. With every moment of sheer brilliance the Swedish striker produces there is at least one soundbite to go alongside it.
Ask him a question and you will get an answer, and then some. The posing of a question isn’t even a necessity in getting football’s most colourful character to speak.
But even by his own chatty standards, Ibrahimovic has spoken a lot of late. The subject of his discussion—his future.
The striker’s contract at Paris Saint-Germain is set to expire at the end of the season, and the player himself hasn’t exactly remained coy on whether he will stay in the French capital beyond the summer.
Ibrahimovic has been there, got the t-shirt in most countries and leagues, winning titles in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France. The Premier League remains his personal final frontier, and it would seem there are no shortage of potential suitors—with Arsenal and Manchester United in particular linked.
“I have another three months here and, then, what will happen?” he said just a few weeks ago, per Dominic Fifield of the Guardian. “Big things will happen. So let’s see.” Asked whether he would favour a move to the Premier League this summer, he added: “Let’s just say I am in good shape.”
He also, reportedly, has offers from Major League Soccer and the Chinese Super League as football’s richest line up to make their case to one of the game’s great players. But the Premier League, and the clubs linked, should pass up the chance to sign Ibrahimovic. England’s top flight can do without him.
Sure, he is an exceptional player, even at the age of 34. His goalscoring record in Europe’s top five leagues over the past five years is only bettered by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and from a footballing perspective, Ibrahimovic would be a worthy addition to most—if not all—Premier League teams.
But the problem with Ibrahimovic is that he is never viewed only from a footballing perspective. When clubs sign him they get much more than just a football player. What they get is a media personality …
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