Tottenham managers are all too familiar with the tale of transfers being manipulated.
They believed they had signed Emmanuel Petit, but Arsenal later had second thoughts as they essentially assisted Willian in finishing his Chelsea physical. Nevertheless, they have also had success in the past, like as in 1988 when they outwitted Manchester United to win Paul Gascoigne the Young Player of the Year award.
The celebrity from Newcastle mistakenly believed he was traveling to Manchester a few hours away. Gazza even informed Alex Ferguson, the manager, that he would be coming to Old Trafford.
The manager was so sure that United had signed one of the game’s most exciting midfielders that he took a vacation.
But Spurs, led by chairman Irving Scholar, intervened and made an offer to purchase the youngster’s family a home, which made the player alter his mind and lead to a £2 million signing.
“When there’s a Tannoy for me to take a call, I’m lying by the pool,” Fergie said in a statement to the late journalist David Frost. “I was informed by [Chairman Martin Edwards] that Tottenham had [signed him instead] by purchasing a north-east house for Paul’s parents.”
Though the new house included a garage, his dad also requested a car, so the promise of a new house wasn’t enough. In addition, Spurs purchased a sunbed for his sister!
Gazza subsequently joked, recalling his disappointment at not joining United, who dominated the Premier League in the 1990s, saying, “She should have got a spray tan and I would have a few more medals.”
When he came back, Fergie was obviously not impressed. Almost immediately after taking over at United in 1986, the manager had shown a desire to sign him.
After a year in power, he was facing relegation in the First Division with Newcastle. Norman Whiteside, Bryan Robson, and Remi Moses were Man United’s midfield players; Fergie described them as “all great footballers” to Frost.
“And he just tore them apart,” he remarked, alluding to Gazza, the 20-year-old emerging talent.
Fergie has been candid about his drinking, which has harmed both his personal and professional life. He is the one athlete that he wishes he had signed, thinking that perhaps he might have spared him the rigors of growing up in the capital.
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