The move of the season?

And with a bang, the summer transfer season is off to one of its best starts.

First came the successive record signings of Kaka (£56m) and Ronaldo (£80m) last week. Two days ago on Tuesday, Real Madrid sprung the news that the Bernebau was also going to be the new home for Karim Benzema (£30m). The Franck Ribery soap opera continues, with the Bayern midfielder claiming that now he does want to leave Munich and that he wants to become the latest Galactico.

Last night, however, came the true shocker. Having lost out on Benzema, and with only the yet-untested Antonio Valencia to show so far, Alex Ferguson may have made the move of the season. Without warning and rather innocently, the news came over the wires: Michael Owen is about thisclose to signing with Manchester United. For free. On a pay-for-play salary. Did we mention he’s coming on a free?

The CounterAttack has only two words: Gob. Smacked.

Where to start? First off, even though this will be Owen’s 13th professional season, he is still only 29. Scorer of 157 professional goals in 322 matches, he can still score, as 26 Newcastle goals in 56 games started attest. He has experience at the highest levels, and knows how to play before the most demanding supporters. Besides, it is addition by subtraction, as Owen at Manchester means that he will not be scoring for anyone else in the Premier League.

Jayz. Owen is only 29. We have to repeat that because it is so stunning. The injuries thing? Yeah that is a concern but much less so than if he were 32 (and yes, a couple of years makes a difference in these cases). Oh man, and he can still score. The shock might turn out to be that no one else really made a play for Owen.

Whenever the genius of Alex Ferguson is debated, moves like this have to be included in the conversation. He made end-of-career pickups like Sheringham and Henrik Larson, goal-scorers both, that paid off handsomely. Ferguson’s astuteness at judging talent is an important factor in Manchester’s success.

The concern, of course, is that Owen is finished, that injuries have wrecked his career, that he is a mere shadow of what he was. Perhaps. Then again, Manchester already have their strike force set with Rooney and Berbatov, and Valencia on the wing. They have backups in Macheda and Welbeck. So Mickey Owen is coming as insurance, top-line insurance at a bargain-basement price. Make that, at zero cost.

Owen will be more than a super-sub, but not a full starter. He will fill in when the main force have an off-day. He will certainly get spot starts, as the young strikers are, well, young. When Berba goes missing, as he does, Owen will be ready and able. Better still, if he does prove he is up to it, he can play with Rooney (a fellow former Everton supporter) and behind Berba in a 4-3-3.

The best part for United is that there is so little downside. If Owen is fully fit and starts strong, then he will get more playing time. He will want to do this, if only to get back onto the England squad. He offers Ferguson options up front and along the wing.

What a roller-coaster week. The CounterAttack was not totally sold on Benzema but was willing to adopt a wait-and-see attitude for his expected arrival at Old Trafford. The news that he went to Real instead was shocking, as much for its completion as for how much we were affected. He was a young but tested player. He had Champions League experience, and would have been a missing piece for the next several seasons.

Signing Owen would be an effective antidote. He has the skills, if not quite the same pace. Since he has become a poacher, he complements both Rooney and Berbatov. His experience will balance quite nicely a team that is becoming younger. Veterans Scholes and Giggs will likely not get much time, and certainly not for much longer.

Does this move win the Champions League for Manchester? Not sure. The team needs a stronger midfield to do that. The CounterAttack is still campaigning for a Wesley Sneijder signing. Getting Owen does make a record-breaking title more likely though. Suddenly the power balance has shifted back to Manchester, just as Liverpool and Chelsea were trying to gain an advantage. The fact that he cost nothing means that Manchester still has all that Ronaldo money to spend on a Big Signing. Or two.

It will be weird to see Mickey in a Manchester shirt, no doubt. Some (blinkered) supporters will oppose this move on principle (Scouser, played at Anfield).

CounterAttack prefers to see this as proof that the gaffer is the best-ever manager in English football.

photo via Soccernet.com