By John May

Saha transfer latest

But as the �12.8m signing of Louis Saha was finally completed, one question will not go away. Has he captured the right man?

Saha's fear that Fulham's rebuff of United's initial offer would cause them to look elsewhere proved unfounded.

Ferguson was determined to land Saha, but why when there are so many alternatives in a depressed market?

The most obvious target would have been Jermain Defoe.

WHO ELSE? Jermain Defoe (W Ham) Alan Smith (Leeds) James Beattie (Soton) Roy Makaay (B Munich) Sidney Govou (Lyons) Samuel Eto'o (Mallorca) Pauleta (PSG)

He has a sound goalscoring record, and West Ham's relegation and financial plight would surely have tempted them.

Perhaps other Premiership strikers might have floated Fergie's boat more than Saha.

Fergie could well have got Leeds pair Alan Smith and Mark Viduka in a buy one, get one free deal, while Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe would find cold, hard cash difficult to turn down for James Beattie.

Had Fergie wanted to look abroad, his buying power could have bought him top-shelf quality.

Italian and Spanish clubs are more able to hold on to their players. But while a Trezeguet, Totti or Vieri might have been out of his mid-season price range, Ferguson could well have landed a Mista, Valeron or Eto'o.

If he wanted a proven goalscorer, he could have wound PSV Eindhoven up even more by trying to prise away Mateja Kezman.

Sidney Govou is above Saha in the French pecking order

Bayern Munich are not that flush that they could turn down a sizeable bid for Roy Makaay, while French clubs fall over at the sight of a well-padded wallet.

PSG's Portuguese striker Pauleta has as good a scoring record as any on the continent, and Ivory Coast international Didier Drogba has carved a big reputation for himself with Marseille this season.

Lyon's Sidney Govou and Djibril Cisse, of Auxerre, are way ahead of Saha in the pecking order for the French national team.

While Saha has been hot this season, at other times he has been lukewarm.

After Jean Tigana made Saha his first Fulham signing, the striker's 27 League goals fired the Cottagers into the Premiership.

But during their first season back in the top flight, Saha only managed seven goals in 28 appearances.

SAHA'S CAREER 1995: With Henry and Anelka at French National Academy 1998: Joins Metz Jan 1999: Joins Newcastle on five-month loan June 2000: Joins Fulham for �2.1m 2000-01 season: Scores 27 goals in Div One

A move to United could propel Saha into the sort of stellar existence he dreamed of when he won a place at the French national academy at Clairefontaine.

There, his closest friends were two players whose families also came from the French Antilles, and with whom he spoke Creole, Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka.

Back then Saha was rated the most promising of the three, with Metz president Patrick Razurel claiming: "In France, all the technicians said he was one of the best players seen in the last 10 years."

While Henry and Anelka went off to tread glamourous paths with Monaco and Arsenal, and PSG, Arsenal and Real Madrid, Saha ploughed a provincial furrow with Metz.

Newcastle took Saha on loan, and then Magpies boss Ruud Gullit was keen to push through a �2m permanent deal.

Saha, though, returned to France, never to return to Tyneside for reasons still shrouded in a Geordie mist, and Gullit's departure ensured Newcastle's interest ended.

So what does Ferguson see in Saha?

Perhaps he sees a player similar in style to Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is happy leading the line alone.

There may be better players around than Saha, but it is more important for United that a player can seamlessly slot into their team plan.

But perhaps significantly, Saha's first Premiership game saw him score twice in Fulham's 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford.

Ferguson would have made a mental note that day.