Transfer battles won and lost between Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspurs (Part 1)
This one signed, this one got away and yes, this one is on the cards!!
It might be a slight exaggeration but in recent years, Tottenham and Manchester United have met each other more in the board rooms than they have on the field.
When it comes to playing, may that be Premier League, Carling Cup, UEFA Cup or even Champions league (if Spurs do progress to the next round), both teams aim for three points and the matches are never dull. But, when it comes to buying and selling players,
it’s the North London team that always gets the best bargain whether it is in terms of profits generated or money saved.
Coincidence or part of a plan? We may never know but in recent years, Sir Alex Ferguson has looked over White Hart Lane for big signings that are aimed to take his club one step further.
Michael Carrick was the first product of these transfer battles that were fought silently behind closed doors. He arrived in 2006 for a huge sum of £18 million as he had then proved himself to be one of Premier Leagues’ most consistent and creative midfielders.
For a few months, it was widely agreed that Manchester United had won this transfer battle and made a good bargain but over the years, it now seems like Tottenham Hotspurs were the ones who won this battle owing to Carrick’s later consistent below-par performances
which saw him relegated to the bench. Even selling Carrick was a great deal right from the start as the England international was initially purchased from West Ham for only £2.75 million in 2004. So, a great piece of bargain for Tottenham Hotspurs.
Luckily for Spurs, money paid for Carrick was utilized in the purchase of Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov from Bayer Leverkusen for £10.9 million. This time though, it was Manchester City with whom Spurs had to fight for the Bulgarian’s signature.
Let’s take a look at the major negotiations between the two clubs which include the players that Manchester United bought from Spurs, the ones that they let slip away and the ones they might just sign. It might just indicate how much Spurs have benefited
from the board room meetings between the two sides.
Dimitar Berbatov (£30 million, Sep 2008):
The Bulgarian led to a division of opinion like no other player transfer. At least that was the case before the hit man scored a hat trick against Liverpool this season to stamp his authority as a great striker.
It took Berbatov almost 2 years to realize the potential that his price tag promised. Spurs got a profit of £20 million when they sold him to Old Trafford and with that much money, Spurs made key signing of Luka Modric who was essential to their squad that
qualified for the Champions League last season. Berbatov took some time to settle at his new club and owing to the great performances of Christiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney there, he could not really show his potential and was getting used to make substitute
appearances in his first season.
In his second season, Sir Alex Ferguson put on Rooney as a lone striker and Berbatov was once again warming the bench. Rooney came off age as Ronaldo left and started scoring goals like he never did, ending his season with 34 goals in all competitions for
Manchester United. This season saw Rooney's poor patch of form and Berbatov was given a chance which the Bulgarian took and has already scored 8 goals so far. Although, it is still early in the season but he has taken a lot of responsibility on his shoulders
and is becoming a key player in the Manchester United side.
This battle was won by Tottenham as they got profits and a lot of cash to make some key signings while United are still waiting to see the long-term benefits out of this transfer.
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