Technically, the transfer window is supposed to be boring. There’s nothing interesting about club loading and unloading players twice a year to keep their balances in check. Like players, even viewers need time to refuel themselves, after going through the manic highs and depressive lows of club football for close to ten months. But the summer transfer window has a way to surprise us, in unimaginable ways. We look at some of the most bizarre transfer window stories in the recent past:
Fax Machine, In 2015?
Perhaps as an ode to the illustrious era of the club under Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United was still using the fax machine in 2015, when other clubs were unveiling their signings on Twitter. The biggest casualty of the club’s Luddism turned out to be goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
As per the proposed agreement, Navas, who was then a second-choice goalie in Madrid, was supposed to head to Old Trafford and Real Madrid would have got the service of David De Gea. However, the required paperwork for both players had failed to be adequately transmitted and registered before the stipulated deadline, thanks to the malfunctioning fax machine.
Afternoon Naps >>> Manchester City
When Manchester City offered a two-year deal to Portsmouth’s Benjani Mwaruwari, his excitement knew no bounds. It was a life-altering amount for Mwaruwari, but he has his priority sorted: afternoon naps are a must. The Zimbabwean, because of an untimely nap, missed two consecutive flights to Manchester. The third flight got cancelled.
The Failed Escapade
In the summer of 2017, West Ham’s Diafra Sakho fell out with the cub’s management and tried to force his way out of the club. The Senegal striker flew to France and underwent a medical at Rennes on his own accord, but his current employer West Ham were yet to give a green signal. Rennes’s offer of £4m was duly rejected by the Hammers. Sakho stayed the whole night waiting for the club’s approval, but it never came. He returned back to London, and went straightaway to the horse racing where he won winning £500. When he reached West Ham to meet his bosses, no one was there.
Rules Are Rules!
FIFA’s dedication to punctuality on transfer deadline day came back to haunt central midfielder Adrien Silva. The Portuguese player was poised to make his much-anticipated move from Sporting to Leicester, with a whopping price tag of £22 million attached. However, destiny had other plans, as the crucial paperwork arrived a mere 14 seconds past the deadline, leaving Silva stranded in a state of transfer purgatory.
Leicester asserted that they possess concrete forensic evidence attesting to their punctual submission. Yet, FIFA dismissively denied their claims, resisting any inclination to expedite a potential appeal to the esteemed Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Mysterious Disappearance Of BabelCopter
Liverpool’s Ryan Babel found himself caught in the vortex of a crazy deadline-day saga. When he heard of the spirited interest from West Ham United, Babel, determined to leave Liverpool, couldn’t help himself and took a London-found flight. But no one knew what transpired in the next few hours, and by the evening, Babel was back in Liverpool.
