There wasn't a chance in 10,000 years you were signing Kaka.
Most frustrating Transfer Sagas
- Thread starter MyOnlySolskjaer
- Start date
Sneijder was the worst, we were so desperate for that type of player. Thiago was also tough but entertaining at the same time and we were all caught up in the beginning of the Moyes era to feel it as much.
May have been the case, but his agent seemed willing and our assistant manager at the time said the deal was "very close", clearly there was valid reason to believe it could be happening.
Probably not the most frustrating for your lot, but the Herrera transfer saga finale gave me some of the most uncontrollable laughs I've had on redcafe. That thing with the "impostors" was pure gold. Still remember their pictures coming out of that place. Amazing 
John Obi Mikel, when I finally thought we signed the most promising African talent, we ended up selling him to Chelsea 3 hours later for 12m.
Who knows what could have been...
Where's the white text at?
Sneijder was the worst for me because he was exactly what we needed at that moment in time and he ran the show for inter when they won the treble. We agreed to a transfer fee but couldn't pay him what he wanted.
Tiago was almost as equally bad as he was a cm tailor made for our system...plus his release clause was not high at all.... Moyes dithered and we ended up with nothing.
I still remember waking up the next day to find out we lost every single target and all we could sign was an overpriced Fellaini (his price seems about right now!) I knew we were in for a very rough season at that point.
Tiago was almost as equally bad as he was a cm tailor made for our system...plus his release clause was not high at all.... Moyes dithered and we ended up with nothing.
I still remember waking up the next day to find out we lost every single target and all we could sign was an overpriced Fellaini (his price seems about right now!) I knew we were in for a very rough season at that point.
Check out his latest interview-Kaka An American Adventure
@ 6:30 the reporter asks him how close he was to signing for City
Nobody to blame but yourselves for overpaying him
Was this in 2007/2008? You actually thought you could have signed Kaka in those days?! He was absolutely fantastic for AC Milan and would have never have left them for an unproven project like City when he could have went to any club of his choice.
Isco would have been magnificent in this league, tough luck
Fellaini probably.
All summer we were linked to him, classic will it happen won't it happen scenario. Then as time went by it looked less and less likely and then out of the blue on the last day we suddenly bought the bastard for more than his buyout clause!
Turned out alright though.
All summer we were linked to him, classic will it happen won't it happen scenario. Then as time went by it looked less and less likely and then out of the blue on the last day we suddenly bought the bastard for more than his buyout clause!
Turned out alright though.
Ronaldinho and Thiago.
I was never that convinced with Vidal. Always contradicting stories came out.
I was never that convinced with Vidal. Always contradicting stories came out.
Hazard, Thiago, Sneijder, Vidal in that order.
Thiago. I genuinely believed he was signing for us and I was so excited. I remember I was working that summer, and at every opportunity I would search on twitter "Thiago #mufc" hoping the deal would be complete. Several times a day. Still remember following the Pep press conference when he said Thiago or no one. I literally wanted to pack my things and go home.
I was a complete muppet with Vidal, but never really thought it was ever going to happen.
I was a complete muppet with Vidal, but never really thought it was ever going to happen.
Was this in 2007/2008? You actually thought you could have signed Kaka in those days?! He was absolutely fantastic for AC Milan and would have never have left them for an unproven project like City when he could have went to any club of his choice.
Isco would have been magnificent in this league, tough luck
"We believe the deal is very close...our understanding is that it is very much a strong possibility that Kaka will be coming to Manchester City." - That was our own assistant manager Mark Bowen at the time. Kaka's agent made it sound like he could be convinced as well. In retrospect Kaka would almost certainly have not signed for City, but given it was clearly more than just paper talk can't blame us for getting giddy
As for Isco, I still remember the SkySports presenter asking him if he will be a Man City player and he said something like "I hope, we'll see." I thought we had him in the bag, especially given the Pellegrini link
Ronaldinho. Every time. This a man that got a standing ovation at the Bernbabeu for Barca. Just imagine that sentence being Anfield and United. It still hurts a bit that it wasn't.
A player you knew was on the rise and was already at a level to blow rivals out of the Prem. was just a question of taming his party lifestyle and getting consistency on the pitch. Just imagine Ronaldinho, Rooney/Tevez and Ronaldo as a front 3. Strewth.
I have a VHS somewhere on United called So Near Yet So Far. Describes this situation perfectly.
A player you knew was on the rise and was already at a level to blow rivals out of the Prem. was just a question of taming his party lifestyle and getting consistency on the pitch. Just imagine Ronaldinho, Rooney/Tevez and Ronaldo as a front 3. Strewth.
I have a VHS somewhere on United called So Near Yet So Far. Describes this situation perfectly.
Thiago for sure.The movement when he signed the United jersey
Shearer was frustrating, though I don't remember if he was was that close to sign for us as it was always likely he would end up at Newcastle.
He looked a genuine box to box threat back in '05, he went to Chelsea and they shackled him, tried turning him into Makelele essentially, it wasn't his game and they ruined him basically.
The Kaka thing was all Gary Cook talking shit trying to look big and clever. As usual with him it backfired spectacularly."We believe the deal is very close...our understanding is that it is very much a strong possibility that Kaka will be coming to Manchester City." - That was our own assistant manager Mark Bowen at the time. Kaka's agent made it sound like he could be convinced as well. In retrospect Kaka would almost certainly have not signed for City, but given it was clearly more than just paper talk can't blame us for getting giddy
As for Isco, I still remember the SkySports presenter asking him if he will be a Man City player and he said something like "I hope, we'll see." I thought we had him in the bag, especially given the Pellegrini link
"Milan bottled it" - have a word with yourself Gary.
Hazard was bad.
As a period the worst by far was the Moyes summer. Dithering Dave...
As a period the worst by far was the Moyes summer. Dithering Dave...
Did you ever actually think that would happen?
No one mentioned Strooman?
Ronaldinho or Hazard for me. The summer when we signed Ferdinand was awful as well, it dragged on the entire summer.
Fabregas to Barça was a saga in 2010. More frustrated by the conduct of some of our players, not so much the fact it didn't happen that year. For a one club auction, it was frustratingly long in 2011 though.
I remember watching the entire Lille game (Hazard' last) and Hazard' press conference after nursing a huge boner.
The Thiago collapse was devasting
The Thiago collapse was devasting
Seemed that way, didn't it? Maybe because of the World Cup. In truth it ended just after the middle of July after a few intensive days.
It was before the days of Twitter and stuff, but I'll always remember the Shearer saga of 96' unfondly.
Sneijder and Thiago for sure. At the time of the Sneijder saga he was my favourite non-United player and looked to be the player to push us onto the next level. I was checking so often for updates for that transfer.
As for Thiago, it just made so much sense. The few was relatively low, we needed a CM badly, he was a good young player with loads of room to improve and he could joined De Gea here. The fact he signed the shirt, and the message on the ball from De Gea seemed to be sure signs. Then for Moyes to be unsure about the transfer was just....
As for anyone mentioning the Vidal "saga", I think that was something formulated by the wishes of the fans largely. There were never really much credible links, and I never got the feeling that the transfer was ever truly 'ON'.
As for Thiago, it just made so much sense. The few was relatively low, we needed a CM badly, he was a good young player with loads of room to improve and he could joined De Gea here. The fact he signed the shirt, and the message on the ball from De Gea seemed to be sure signs. Then for Moyes to be unsure about the transfer was just...
. As for anyone mentioning the Vidal "saga", I think that was something formulated by the wishes of the fans largely. There were never really much credible links, and I never got the feeling that the transfer was ever truly 'ON'.
I'm predicting that after this summer: Depay, Hummels and Veratti
Cavani. The thought we can actually follow him for real is devastating.
Most annoying: Sneijder
Not because I was very keen on him, but I feel like it dragged on for 5 years, every single day. Not to forget the ridiculous cryptic quotes such as "Only God knows where I'll play next". FU Wesley.
Most disappointing: Thiago and Hazard
Not because I was very keen on him, but I feel like it dragged on for 5 years, every single day. Not to forget the ridiculous cryptic quotes such as "Only God knows where I'll play next". FU Wesley.
Most disappointing: Thiago and Hazard
People mentioning Cesc but were we even close to signing him? And his future was decided before the World Cup.
Hargreaves was pretty irritating as well.
I think the first one I remember here was Benzema in 2009, and then there seemed to be at least one major saga every year since:
2010: Ozil
2011: Sneijder, Sanchez
2012: Hazard
2013: Thiago, Fabregas, Strootman, Ozil again
Then there were some smaller ones that didn't seem that likely, like Villa and Silva, as well as others that I've forgotten.
We did "win" a couple of big sagas in that win at least: RVP, Berbatov, Hargreaves, Di Maria and finally Herrera
2010: Ozil
2011: Sneijder, Sanchez
2012: Hazard
2013: Thiago, Fabregas, Strootman, Ozil again
Then there were some smaller ones that didn't seem that likely, like Villa and Silva, as well as others that I've forgotten.
We did "win" a couple of big sagas in that win at least: RVP, Berbatov, Hargreaves, Di Maria and finally Herrera
Probably on about the season under Moyes. When we bid for him, but Barca rejected it. Don't think we were ever that close though, seemed like they wanted Cesc to have at least another season
None of the recent ones bothered me. Ronaldinho and Robben however did.
Ronaldinho and Robben. Really wanted these 2.
Gazza. Wasn't really a saga but I wish we'd signed him.
Was Di Maria really a transfer saga? It seemed to be done and dusted pretty quickly.
Robben and Ronaldinho.
I do wonder had we signed Ronaldinho, would we have definitely had Ronaldo as well? I know it all kicked off after that pre-season game, it didn't seem a deal was in the works before that.
I do wonder had we signed Ronaldinho, would we have definitely had Ronaldo as well? I know it all kicked off after that pre-season game, it didn't seem a deal was in the works before that.
Yeah, seems more to me that Kaka was just never willing for the move. Milan would obviously have sold him for the right price, and his agents would have tried to persuade him if it was true we were really offering £500k a week, but if Kaka said no then that was it.