by In the 10 months since David De Gea left Manchester United, the highest paid free agent on the market has worn a suit for another club. The red shirt, however, was his Rebels esports team, rather than pulling on the No.1 jersey in the Premier League.
The Spaniard, 33, has been active in running his gaming team, which is “united by our rebellious and uncompromising spirit” according to its mission statement. De Gea has rebelled against the notion that out-of-contract players should jump at the first opportunity. He is set to sit out a full season and where he ends up next looks more complicated.
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 as possible from the usual games before the business end of the football season.
De Gea’s gap is a modern footballing parable of a player who went from being the highest paid goalkeeper in the world to training alone with a personal coach, cones and mini props for his individual drills.
Ever since they played in the FA Cup final last June, there seemed to be opportunities for clubs to explore landing a top-class free transfer from Bosman. De Gea is the current holder of the Golden Gloves award in the Premier League and will hold that title for another five weeks.
Even on the eve of the closing of the January transfer window, there was a chance to sign for Nottingham Forest. It looked like the perfect storm. Forest were looking for 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 be given the platform to put himself in full view of potential clubs for next season.
But according to Forest sources, it was nowhere near done. Their search for a keeper went to the deadline and they moved to Matz Sels from Strasbourg, which cost them £5 million.
Earlier in the campaign, De Gea was discussed at Newcastle when Nick Pope suffered an injury which would rule him out for most of the season. Eddie Howe finished with Martin Dubravka as cover. De Gea was earning around £375,000 a week at United when they were in the Champions League, and Newcastle’s spending plans were revealed later in the January window. They didn’t sign a first team player.
Away from the Premier League, Real Madrid looked like the first clear route back for De Gea after Thibaut Courtois broke his anterior cruciate ligament. De Gea used to play for rivals Atletico but that would not be the case with Sol Campbell. It was almost expected that they would approach, although the approach was smoother than 2015 when a faulty fax machine prevented paperwork from getting through the market.
The call from Real never came. They went on loan from Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has since lost his place to Andriy Lunin. Real will be in the market for another goalkeeper again this summer when Kepa returns to Chelsea but, as De Gea has discovered, this is a crowded market with not many No.1 slots available for international goalkeepers.
Although De Gea is a free transfer, he would still cost a significant amount of wages to get even half the salary he commanded at United. Money was not a concern for the Saudi Pro League, although their priority was attacking players to get eyes on their competition. They bid for Mohamed Salah last summer after landing Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema.
Edouard Mendy and Bono moved to the SPL for modest fees compared to outfield players, then during the January window there was hardly any spending at all, let alone the goalkeeper. They are poised to spend big again in the summer as budgets are being drafted, although it remains to be seen whether a goalie will matter.
MLS was seen as a viable option for players leaving the Premier League, with the attractive American lifestyle. Inter Miami, owned by David Beckham and Lionel Messi driving donations with Apple TV coverage, were linked with De Gea but another move did not materialise.
They started the MLS season with Drake Callender, whose annual package of $355,917 was less than De Gea’s weekly wages while at United. World Cup winning captain Hugo Lloris has moved across the Atlantic to Los Angeles FC on an annual salary of £277,000.
With the summer window approaching, De Gea will need the following: a team that needs a goalkeeper, has a reasonable wage budget and matches his ambition. It’s a checklist complicated by other goalkeepers on the market. Australian international Mat Ryan will join him, along with Belgian international Koen Casteels when his contract at Wolfsburg expires. Both of those would have 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 by relegation. Of those in the last England squad, Jordan Pickford and James Trafford could end up.
It is rare for a player to have a sabbatical and return to the highest level. Unheard of, but rare. De Gea will be competing against the keepers who have been training in the squads for the past year, with many also playing regularly. De Gea had an off year. He got married, played a lot of paddling and tennis and took in the United Women’s match when they played Paris Saint-Germain Feminines back in October.
In years to come it will be a pub quiz question: name the only goalie who won the Golden Gloves to spend the next year as a free agent. The answer is David De Gea. The answer for the next game is yet to be determined.
