Spanish Inquisition: Why Real Madrid Would Rue Failing To Land David Villa

What a difference a year makes. Last summer Real Madrid went to David Villa and Villa slammed the door shut. This summer it is Villa who wants to come to Madrid and Madrid are slamming the door shut.

Okay, they are not exactly turning him out but Florentino Perez's reported disinclination to pay an extra €5 million exhibits their lack of desire to sign the world's best striker at any cost. Villa wants to go to Madrid, Valencia are ready to sell even if they say they don't want to, the fans welcome him with open arms, the Madrid media are ready to shower him with praise: all that is missing from the equation is Madrid's desperation to land the striker who averages more than 20 goals a season for Valencia, a desperation that was so overtly discernible in their pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka.

If Florentino Perez's first spell as president of Real Madrid was marred by signing the wrong players, then his second spell could be marred by not signing the right players, especially when the players themselves are so keen on becoming Madrid's Galacticos. And the first of those mistakes would be not settling for a fee for the world's best striker.

Madrid might not have struggled for goals anytime in the last two seasons but they haven't quite looked overwhelming in that department. True, Gonzalo Higuain is a priceless gem who replaced the injured Ruud van Nistelrooy perfectly last season; van Nistelrooy himself remains the most clinical goalscorer in Europe; Raul chips in with useful toe-pokes and Klass-Jan Huntelaar has done reasonably well from his limited chances at the Bernabeu; but Madrid's attacking line has often struggled for pace and gone missing in big matches. Higuain is still 21 and is not a genius, van Nistelrooy is getting injury-prone, Raul should no longer start and Huntelaar is likely to leave in the summer.

In David Villa, though, the Blancos would have the perfect striker to score goals and score them with ease. With 28 goals and six assists in 33 league starts last season, Villa has proven to be someone who not only finds the net regularly but also creates chances for his team-mates to score as well. The 27-year-old can drop in deep to collect the ball, scores with either foot and with his head, can take free-kicks and corners, shows quicksilver intelligence on the ball and doesn't need a second invitation to unleash a ferocious shot. He was once described by Michael Robinson as "the complete striker" who "has everything".

All of which makes Madrid's reluctance to part with an extra €5 million ridiculously dense, given their monetary superiority. President Florentino Perez is a pragmatic economist who weighs players not (only) according to their contribution on the pitch but as per their contribution off it (too). He defined Zinedine Zidane as his cheapest signing when he still (officially) holds the record for the most expensive transfer fee in the world and is confident that he can recoup the €160 million splashed out on Kaka and Ronaldo within a year.

David Villa's marketing prospects are obviously less than those two Galacticos. A humble, down-to-earth man who doesn't flirt with the media, makes no controversial remarks, keeps his personal life out of public attention, distinctly lacks the charisma to become a global icon and feels shy in front of cameras is not conducive to Perez's intent to sell the Madrid brand worldwide.

From a marketing perspective Perez might be doing a decent deal if he refuses to give Valencia anything more than €25 million plus Alvaro Negredo, as Valencia are certainly trying to milk the situation and garner as much as they can; but he would have to rue seeing FC Barcelona lure Villa away. Sources suggest that the Asturian prefers Madrid to Barcelona but with Barca willing to push away Samuel Eto'o and planning to launch a bid for El Guaje, things could change. Even with Kaka and Ronaldo in their bags, Madrid are still not the team that can compete with Barcelona; and with Villa in Camp Nou, Pep Guardiola's side would become even more formidable.

€55 million spent on Franck Ribery would be a good investment but between Ribery and Villa it is Villa that Madrid need more. Arjen Robben can still do a decent job on the wings and although Diego Forlan is class, his failure at Manchester United makes him a risk at Real Madrid.

Last time Perez's Galacticos policy fell apart (supposedly) because of lack of defensive signings as he went on buying attacking talents that failed to live up to their promise. This time, though, Perez's first mistake would be not signing the world's best striker when he has the chance and the means. Now, how ironic is that!

Subhankar Mondal, Goal.com