Biggest Transfer Cockups

[manunited1919]

What are the biggest transfer cockups ever? I am only aware of the recent ones involving United, but I am sure there have to be huge mis-deals involving many other teams too.

The ones I know of

• United's first attempt to purchase Herrera, where there were apparently 3 lawyers representing United to trigger Herrera's buyout clause, but United categorically denied the lawyers were theirs. Huh?
• Fellaini's buyout clause of £22m expires, only for United to purchase him a few weeks later at £27m. Hence began our fans love at first sight with the Fellaini tree.
• DDG agreed a move to RM, where Navas would come the other way to United. RM dither for so long that the deal was never completed due to a faulty fax machine.

 

[NotQuiteManc]

Not sure of the details but pretty sure Fergies or Gill or both penny pinching cost United from signing player such as Robben, Essien, and Hazard.

I Could probably include Ronaldinho but that kid CR turned out alright didnt he?

 

[senorgregster]

What are the biggest transfer cockups ever? I am only aware of the recent ones involving United, but I am sure there have to be huge mis-deals involving many other teams too.

The ones I know of

• United's first attempt to purchase Herrera, where there were apparently 3 lawyers representing United to trigger Herrera's buyout clause, but United categorically denied the lawyers were theirs. Huh?
• Fellaini's buyout clause of £22m expires, only for United to purchase him a few weeks later at £27m. Hence began our fans love at first sight with the Fellaini tree.
• DDG agreed a move to RM, where Navas would come the other way to United. RM dither for so long that the deal was never completed due to a faulty fax machine.

I have a feeling these are ranked 1, 2, and 3.

 

[Raoul]

Ronaldinho and Robben spring to mind.

The recent ones from Benzema to Vidal weren't cockups. The circumstances just weren't right and the players made their choices to go elsewhere.

 

[Damien]

• Liverpool pissing off Southampton regarding Van Dijk with the leaks about Klopp 'wooing' VVD in Blackpool and sending texts. Ended up with Liverpool having to make an apology on their site.
  
• Liverpool also had to make an apology to Fulham over tapping up Clint Dempsey several years previously.
• Arsenal bidding £40,000,001 for Suarez.

 

[senorgregster]

Some of these aren't cock ups.

I suppose you could throw in the Mikel "transfer" to United.

 

[manunited1919]

Just remember another beauty: In 2010 we paid Guimaraes £7.4m for Bebe, when 5 weeks earlier he was available for just 125,000 from his previous club Estrella.

 

[KanieKaned]

What are the biggest transfer cockups ever? I am only aware of the recent ones involving United, but I am sure there have to be huge mis-deals involving many other teams too.

The ones I know of

• United's first attempt to purchase Herrera, where there were apparently 3 lawyers representing United to trigger Herrera's buyout clause, but United categorically denied the lawyers were theirs. Huh?
• Fellaini's buyout clause of £22m expires, only for United to purchase him a few weeks later at £27m. Hence began our fans love at first sight with the Fellaini tree.
• DDG agreed a move to RM, where Navas would come the other way to United. RM dither for so long that the deal was never completed due to a faulty fax machine.

Herrera the first time was Hilario but weren't these supposed agents/lawyers nothing to do with the club? I could be wrong on this.
Fellaini plain and simple we didn't get any other top targets and had to pay a premium on a 3rd 4th 5th rated target
DDG Real didn't dither we fecked them about on purpose IMO.

Some of these aren't cock ups.

I suppose you could throw in the Mikel "transfer" to United.

Mikel wasn't a cock up neither. The deal was agreed and he fecked off to Chelsea for oodles more cash claiming kidnapping. Quite simple really.

 

[manunited1919]

Two clubs claim to have signed the same player.
http://m.bbc.com/sport/football/40454783

 

[IRELANDUNITED]

Liverpool's attempt to sign Van Dijk has got to be the most embarrassing fiasco of all time?

 

[Angelinho]

David Unsworth wanted to leave West Ham to be nearer to his wife's home on Merseyside. He rejected an offer from Everton and joined Aston Villa. After his first training session it took him three and a half hours to get back to Liverpool. He complained to Villa's manager, John Gregory, and was resold to Everton the following week.

Said John Gregory:

“Apparently it took David three-and-a-half hours to drive home to Merseyside last Friday following his first training session with us.

“It obviously set him thinking, because the poor lad was clearly under the impression that Birmingham was somewhere on the outskirts of Bolton!

 

[Nanook]

What are the biggest transfer cockups ever? I am only aware of the recent ones involving United, but I am sure there have to be huge mis-deals involving many other teams too.

The ones I know of

• United's first attempt to purchase Herrera, where there were apparently 3 lawyers representing United to trigger Herrera's buyout clause, but United categorically denied the lawyers were theirs. Huh?
• Fellaini's buyout clause of £22m expires, only for United to purchase him a few weeks later at £27m. Hence began our fans love at first sight with the Fellaini tree.
• DDG agreed a move to RM, where Navas would come the other way to United. RM dither for so long that the deal was never completed due to a faulty fax machine.

Isn't the fax machine story not true?

 

[KanieKaned]

David Unsworth wanted to leave West Ham to be nearer to his wife's home on Merseyside. He rejected an offer from Everton and joined Aston Villa. After his first training session it took him three and a half hours to get back to Liverpool. He complained to Villa's manager, John Gregory, and was resold to Everton the following week.

Said John Gregory:

 

[Antisocial]

DDG Real didn't dither we fecked them about on purpose IMO.

They had all summer to make that move as it was known from before the season ended that DDG wanted the move, but they chose not to actually bid until very late in the window - that's probably the dithering being referred to there. Also didn't we submitted all our documents before the deadline (I'm sure our statement referred to proof that we did this), it was Real who didn't? My memory on the details isn't great. Point is, they never seemed too bothered about getting the deal done - I imagine it was a DDG/Mendes-pushed deal more than anything else.

 

[Clas Sified]

Peter Odemwingie driving to QPR on deadline day without an actual agreement.

 

[Sterling Archer]

Huh. Usually my cockup is a great thing...

i'll see myself out

 

[Leftback99]

Pretty much every in/out LVG had a say in.

 

[Invictus]

Di Stéfano to Barcelona

In 1953, FC Barcelona attempted to sign him and came to an agreement with River Plate (who owned his rights), while Real Madrid came to an agreement with Millonarios of Bogotá (the team for which he played). It was the famous Di Stéfano case which had a Solomon-esque judgment from the Spanish Football Federation: The Blonde Arrow would play one season with each of the two teams. Faced with this judgment, the Barcelona board ended up stepping down and giving up the rights to the superstar. Throughout this article, we will focus on the details of the signing of this legendary footballer.

More in-depth explanation: https://grup14.com/article/the-di-stefano-case-explained

 

[Big Ben Foster]

Robinho to Chelsea. They started selling his shirt on the official website, which in turn pissed him off and he ended up signing for City instead.

 

[RedDevil@84]

Robinho to Chelsea. They started selling his shirt on the official website, which in turn pissed him off and he ended up signing for City instead.

It didn't actually happen like that though. Robinho was almost transferred to Chelsea. The CFC website allowed people to do a mockup with names when they were launching their away shirt and then show a pic of how it ll look. Someone put Robinho and Marca picked it up declaring Chelsea insulted Real by already selling Robinho shirts.
City pretty much gave Robinho insane money and he happily switched to City.

 

[Satissh12]

This
http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2008/Jun/Ramsey-fee-agreed.aspx

 

[sun_tzu]

It didn't actually happen like that though. Robinho was almost transferred to Chelsea. The CFC website allowed people to do a mockup with names when they were launching their away shirt and then show a pic of how it ll look. Someone put Robinho and Marca picked it up declaring Chelsea insulted Real by already selling Robinho shirts.
City pretty much gave Robinho insane money and he happily switched to City.

And I'm pretty sure city see that as a bigger cock up than Chelsea in retrospect

 

[Cee90]

It didn't actually happen like that though. Robinho was almost transferred to Chelsea. The CFC website allowed people to do a mockup with names when they were launching their away shirt and then show a pic of how it ll look. Someone put Robinho and Marca picked it up declaring Chelsea insulted Real by already selling Robinho shirts.
City pretty much gave Robinho insane money and he happily switched to City.

There were also rumours of people saying that Robinho thought he was signing for United, not City.

No idea how true that is, but if it is true, then that's even more of a cockup.

 

[kundalini]

The Fellaini fee was a result of a reasonable strategy that didn't work. Moyes wanted Baines and Fellaini. He believed that if he paid Fellaini's buy-out clause, Everton would have the funds they needed and wouldn't be willing to sell Baines. Hence several joint bids that were rejected. Only very late in the transfer window did United separate the bids. Everton realised Moyes was desperate to sign a player and unable to get his other targets, so could raise Fellaini's price and still remain confident that United would pay it. Everton wanted to keep Baines so rejected all offers from United.

As to whether United should have been attempting to sign Fellaini (or Baines) in the first place, is a different matter totally. But the buying strategy had a degree of logic to it.

 

[SammyUnited_83]

Just remember another beauty: In 2010 we paid Guimaraes £7.4m for Bebe, when 5 weeks earlier he was available for just 125,000 from his previous club Estrella.

Has to be this.

Maybe not a cock up but certainly the strangest.

I still wouldn't be surprised if something came out about it...

 

[tom33]

David Unsworth wanted to leave West Ham to be nearer to his wife's home on Merseyside. He rejected an offer from Everton and joined Aston Villa. After his first training session it took him three and a half hours to get back to Liverpool. He complained to Villa's manager, John Gregory, and was resold to Everton the following week.

Said John Gregory:

That reminds me of the Richard Wright one a few years ago. Can't remember the exact details but he was at somewhere like Preston, and asked them to terminate his contract so he could move closer to his family in Suffolk. Weeks later, he signs for Man City, presumably on wages high enough that he could afford to buy a helicopter for the commute!

 

[Token Sheet]

There was the alleged Trevor Francis not buying Cantona for Sheffield Wednesday as he hadn't seen him play on grass.

http://worldsoccertalk.com/2011/09/...t-eric-cantona-slip-out-of-their-grasp-video/

Didn't Fergie have the chance to buy Zidane from Bordeaux before he moved to Juventus?
Think Cantona recommended him.

 

[prath92]

Odemwingie showing up at some other club expecting a move.

The gazza deal with us where he moved to spurs(?) at the 11th hour

Salah and Willian hijacks from Chelsea

Remy 'failing a medical' at pool

The manolas transfer a couple of days back

 

[prath92]

There was the alleged Trevor Francis not buying Cantona for Sheffield Wednesday as he hadn't seen him play on grass.

http://worldsoccertalk.com/2011/09/...t-eric-cantona-slip-out-of-their-grasp-video/

Didn't Fergie have the chance to buy Zidane from Bordeaux before he moved to Juventus?
Think Cantona recommended him.

Think that was Blackburn and they refused because they had sherwood

 

[Summit]

Willian to Spurs Chelsea.

 

[Token Sheet]

Think that was Blackburn and they refused because they had sherwood

Yes that one was also rumoured but I think we had the chance.
Remember it being on the back of Zidane getting Bordeaux through the Intertoto cup qualifiers and through to the Uefa Cup final the previous year.
May just have been a rumour may not have been. Wonder how the caf would have reacted if true.....

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/united-could-have-signed-zidane.6510/

 

[SaboTaj]

David Unsworth wanted to leave West Ham to be nearer to his wife's home on Merseyside. He rejected an offer from Everton and joined Aston Villa. After his first training session it took him three and a half hours to get back to Liverpool. He complained to Villa's manager, John Gregory, and was resold to Everton the following week.

Said John Gregory:

 

[Zlatattack]

Not quite a transfer cock up but didn't barthez end up at Liverpool on his first day of training?

 

[sun_tzu]

Yes that one was also rumoured but I think we had the chance.
Remember it being on the back of Zidane getting Bordeaux through the Intertoto cup qualifiers and through to the Uefa Cup final the previous year.
May just have been a rumour may not have been. Wonder how the caf would have reacted if true.....

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/united-could-have-signed-zidane.6510/

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....d-zidane-swoop-says-cantona-1.472956?mode=amp

 

[ZAGREB RED]

David Unsworth wanted to leave West Ham to be nearer to his wife's home on Merseyside. He rejected an offer from Everton and joined Aston Villa. After his first training session it took him three and a half hours to get back to Liverpool. He complained to Villa's manager, John Gregory, and was resold to Everton the following week.

Said John Gregory:

I'm sure Gregory also said something along the lines of Unsworth got into trouble with his wife as he wasn't home in time for his dinner...

 

[Siddharth]

The Fellaini fee was a result of a reasonable strategy that didn't work. Moyes wanted Baines and Fellaini. He believed that if he paid Fellaini's buy-out clause, Everton would have the funds they needed and wouldn't be willing to sell Baines. Hence several joint bids that were rejected. Only very late in the transfer window did United separate the bids. Everton realised Moyes was desperate to sign a player and unable to get his other targets, so could raise Fellaini's price and still remain confident that United would pay it. Everton wanted to keep Baines so rejected all offers from United.

As to whether United should have been attempting to sign Fellaini (or Baines) in the first place, is a different matter totally. But the buying strategy had a degree of logic to it.

Absolutely correct. If I am not wrong Fellaini also had to put in a last hour transfer request thereby foregoing his loyalty bonus.
I shudder when i think of that season. That cock-up of a transfer window foreshadowed as to what was in store for us that season.

 

[Rozay]

De Gea to Madrid is the worst and most embarrassingly unprofessional.

 

[whatwha]

Isn't the fax machine story not true?

I read that United sent them a password protected .PDF file like 5 minutes before midnight and they couldn't open it. That was what was reported by a reliable source who presented a timeline of what went down that night. Not sure why the fax machine story became the commonly accepted one.

There were also rumours of people saying that Robinho thought he was signing for United, not City.

No idea how true that is, but if it is true, then that's even more of a cockup.

I seem to remember Robinho confirming in an interview at some point, that yes, he thought he was signing for Man Utd as he had barely even heard of City before.

 

[Nate Dogg]

Ronaldinho to United was big, didn't Kenyon feck this up?

And Moyes to United, thank you Fergie

 

[bobglory]

35 million for andy carrol even in today's market it would be a joke.

selling jap stam if that wasn't a cock up i don't know what is.