not many football player get an opportunity like these men cause they get success at his world (Football)
1. Ashley Cole (Arsenal to Chelsea, 2006)
Arsenal fans have always had cult heroes such as Charlie George, Perry Groves and Ian Wright. While Ashley Cole may not have come in the same category as the aforementioned, his status as a local lad playing in a team of overseas players was important to the Highbury faithful.
This is why there was outrage around Islington when it was reported in 2005 that Cole had been 'tapped up' by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. Chelsea, Mourinho and Cole were subsequently fined by the FA.
Cue a summer of cloak and dagger negotiations between Arsenal and Chelsea that only ended in the final hours of transfer deadline day. The final deal agreed by the two clubs saw Chelsea paying £5 million plus want away defender William Gallas in exchange for the England left back.
Cole later released an autobiography defending his conduct and furthered angered all associated with Arsenal by criticising the club and team mates. The player had effectively burnt all his bridges at the club he had supported as a boy.
Cole's first season with the Blues was plagued by injuries and poor form leaving fans on both sides of the London divide wondering what all the fuss was about.
2. Sol Campbell (Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal, 2001)
Of all the transfers that materialised in the wake of the 'Bosman' ruling, the most widely reported was the move of Sol Campbell from Tottenham Hotspur to bitter North London rivals Arsenal.
Speculation surrounding the Spurs captain's future started back in 1999 but Campbell always maintained his commitment to Spurs.
Campbell's refusal to sign a new contract with the club in 2001 saw a host of Europe's top clubs battling for his signature, including Manchester United, Barcelona and Inter Milan.
The player finally admitted that he was leaving but assured fans that he was not going to sign for the enemy: "Being a Spurs fan as a boy and a player for so many years, it would be hard to sign for Arsenal. I don't think the fans here would ever forgive me."
How prophetic he was. On July 3 Campbell was pictured shaking Arsene Wenger's hand confirming the worst fears of all Spurs fans. He later received death threats and hostile treatment whenever he returned to White Hart Lane.
Campbell went on win two Premiership titles and three FA Cups with Arsenal before being transferred to Portsmouth in 2006.
3. Teddy Sheringham (Nottingham Forest to Tottenham Hotspur, 1991)
When Tottenham Hotspur sold star player Gary Lineker to Japanese side Grampus 8 for £1 million in 1991, manager Terry Venables earmarked the young Nottingham Forest striker Teddy Sheringham to fill the gap.
Venables was in luck. Renowned Forest manager Brian Clough had not really taken a shine to young Teddy after signing him from Millwall, deeming him to be too slow.
In July Forest agreed to sell the player to Spurs for £2 million, although it would not be until late August before the deal would be completed.
Sheringham's agents initially played hard to get in order to get the best deal for their client. Then it was reported that Brian Clough had changed his mind about the player and had decided to keep him.
With Spurs having made a dreadful start to the 1992-93 season, Venables was under increasing pressure to sign the player. Eventually on August 26 Sheringham was signed at an increased price of £2.1 million, an FA enquiry later confirming that a 'bung' had been involved in the deal.
Nevertheless, Forest were relegated at the end of the season while Sheringham went on to score 76 goals in his first spell with Spurs. He would later win the 'Treble' with Manchester United.
4. Peter Beardsley (Newcastle United to Liverpool, 1987)
Peter Beardsley's most famous transfer in his illustrious career was arguably his move from Liverpool to Everton in 1991.
However it was the sportasylum Legend's £1.9 million transfer from Newcastle United to Liverpool in 1987 that proved to be the most complicated.
In an exclusive interview with sportsasylum, Beardsley explained that the move was never in doubt but at the time he felt that Newcastle United owed him a proportion of the transfer fee.
"Liverpool, being the way they were, suggested to me that I go back and get some money off Newcastle for the services I had done for them.
"I never had an agent, although I always had Kevin Keegan for advice. Newcastle didn't want to lose me but they were fair. I was going to play football with the best team and it was just a question of the timing," he said.
It would set a precedent for other players to claim such payments from former employers, recently demonstrated by Joey Barton's delayed move from Manchester City to Newcastle United.
Beardsley soon became a kop legend, scoring 59 goals in 175 matches for The Reds, picking up two league titles and an FA Cup in the process.
After a successful spell with local rivals Everton, Beardsley returned to his native Newcastle Un
ited where he captained the club back into the top flight in 1993.
5. John Charles (Leeds United to Juventus, 1957)
The transfer of the legendary John Charles from Leeds United to Juventus in 1957 took four months and is perhaps the earliest example of a truly 'protracted' transfer.
Charles had scored 150 goals in eight seasons for Leeds and had developed into one of the most revered players of his day. With a fire destroying the main stand at Elland Road in 1956, Leeds were looking to raise funds and decided to cash in on their prized asset.
Charles had been spotted by Juventus President, Umberto Agnelli, whilst playing for Wales against Northern Ireland and was determined to make him the first British player to be signed for an overseas team. Charles later admitted in his autobiography that he had never heard of the club.
Negotiating the transfer fee, a then British record at £65,000, was straightforward enough. It was his personal terms that proved to be a sticking point. Juventus at the time were also concerned about being relegated, which would mean they could not sign a foreign player.
Ultimately Juventus survived and Charles went on the write himself into Juve folk law, scoring 93 goals and earning the nickname of 'The Gentle Giant'.
In 1997 he beat off competition from the likes of Zidane and Platini to be voted Juventus' greatest ever foreign player.
For some it means the bitter loss of a star player. For others it is the rush to the club shop to get the replica shirt of a new signing. But as our top five protracted football transfers demonstrates, negotiations often run as smoothly as Neil Ruddock's chin.| |
