In light of the staggering news surrounding Moises Caicedo that broke in the early hours of Friday morning, we are rewinding the clocks to unearth some of the most dramatic, gut-wrenching/joyous transfer hijackings throughout history.
Liverpool‘s seemingly expertly crafted plan to land Moises Caicedo on Friday morning was not something we have come to expect from them.
Their Romeo Lavia smokescreen led Chelsea into a false sense of security, appearing to leave the Blues to stew on losing out on their main summer target.
Typically, the Reds prefer to tighten the purse strings and nurture hidden gems. Of course, Caicedo’s relative career infancy allows room for plenty of nurturing, but their decision to lodge a British record transfer bid shocked fans and experts alike.
Fellow admirers Chelsea had courted the Ecuadorian for much of the window, lodging several bids that were quickly rebuffed by the notoriously stubborn Tony Bloom.
However, in a chaotic 24 hours that saw Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirm a deal had been struck, it now looks as if Chelsea will indeed get their man after he refused a move to Merseysid.
The 21-year-old is now holding out for a fresh bid from the Blues having previously agreed personal terms.
Brighton’s owner Tony Bloom has proven masterful in the market once more, and his ability to pit Chelsea and Liverpool against one and other has led to the Seagulls managing to command a record fee for a player who has spent just one full season in English football.
With that in mind, we are taking a look back through the archives to remind ourselves of some of the other iconic transfer hijackings that have gone down in footballing folklore.
5 of The Most Dramatic Transfer Hijackings
5. David Silva
“I have great respect for the player, but not the man.”
These grating remarks were the words of Lazio’s sporting director Igli Tare, after finding out that David Silva had performed a sensational U-turn in favour of a move back to his native Spain.
A deal had been agreed and medicals booked in Rome, but the Manchester City maestro reportedly ignored Lazio’s calls after Real Sociedad entered the frame at the final hour.
4. John Obi Mikel
Shortly after his 18th birthday, the now-retired former Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel agreed a deal to make the switch from Norwegian outfit Lyn, to Manchester United.
Chelsea then threw a spanner in the works, suggesting they had already struck a deal with his representatives prior to United’s announcement.
Lyn initially denied this counter-claim, although it would later emerge than an agreement was indeed already in place.
In a dramatic retort from Manchester United, the club unveiled him in a press conference where he was pictured holding up their shirt.
After a niggly year-long legal battle, United eventually agreed to terminate their initial agreement in exchange for £12million worth of compensation from the Blues, who would of course enjoy a string of silverware with Mikel.
3. Paul Gascoigne
Strap in for this next one.
“Alex Ferguson says it would have been different if I had signed for United. Well, Rio did a runner from a drug test. Cantona two-footed some c*nt. Rooney shagged a fuc*king granny. And Giggs shagged his brother’s fuc*ing wife.”
Those rather lurid comments from Paul Gascoigne are as clear an indicator as any that he has no regrets about joining Tottenham in 1988.
This was in spite of a gentleman’s agreement with then-Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson. He himself claims that ‘Gazza’ told he would be signing for United upon his return from a short holiday.
🗣| Paul Gascoigne:
“Alex Ferguson says it would have been different if I had signed for United. Well, Rio did a runner from a drug test. Cantona two-footed some c*nt. Rooney shagged a fuc*king granny. And Giggs shagged his brother’s fuc*ing wife.”
What A LEGEND 😂 pic.twitter.com/K6RHVyrwcR
— City Chief (@City_Chief) May 15, 2020
A new sunbed for his sister, as well as a brand-new £120,000 house for his parents is said to have ultimately swung the deal in Spurs’ favour.
Had it not been for Irving Scholar’s brazen bribery, Gascoigne’s career may have panned out very differently under Ferguson.
2. Moises Caicedo
Although this saga is still fresh, the magnitude of a British record deal can not be understated.
As mentioned further up, Liverpool rarely operate with this level of cloak and dagger, and their concurrent pursuit of Romeo Lavia appeared to be nothing more than a ploy to distract Chelsea.
Although it now looks as of their potential hijacking has proven unsuccessful, this whole ordeal will be the defining story of this topsy-turvy, tumultuous summer.
1. Malcolm
Bordeaux and Roma came to an agreement over the transfer of highly-rated prospect Malcom in 2018, much to the joy of fans waiting in the capital who flocked to the airport to welcome their latest recruit.
They would be left waiting for some time however, with Spanish heavyweights Barcelona arriving at negotiating table at the very last minute to lodge a bid that Bordeaux simply couldn’t refuse.
AS Roma fans were waiting at the airport to welcome Malcom but he’s now stuck in Bordeaux since Barcelona have just submitted a much higher bid.
Barça now hope to sign Malcolm in the last minute. [@Guillaumemp via @GFFN] pic.twitter.com/7EBfSmt8pu
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 23, 2018
Much to the dismay of Roma, their sporting director Monchi threatened to bring legal action against the French club.
Malcom’s agent would later reveal that the last minute decision to reject Roma was “revenge” after the Italian club signed goalkeeper Daniel Fuzato – one of his clients – using a different agent.
As history would show, this transfer hijacking proved an unnecessary amount of stress, with his move to Catalonia nothing short of a disaster.
Karma, perhaps.
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