The transfer window is open once more, and supporters of teams all over anticipate signings. Imagine the joy of your favourite team close to signing a player only to hear that he's signed for another team.
A transfer is not complete until you hear an official announcement or see the player wearing his new jersey; however, the deal can be hijacked.
Here is a quick roundup of hijacked signings:
1. Willian - Tottenham in 2013 thought they had the transfer of Willian in the bag, with the player having completed his medical and was waiting at the training ground when Roman Abramovich used his contacts in Russia to pull a deal for Willian.
Willian, in an interview, told Brazilian TV show Resenha in 2018 about the transfer. "Then we’re going in the van, on the way, getting to the training centre, Kia [Joorabchian], my agent, is already down there, waiting. I thought it was weird; he was already at the door,”
“Then I got out of the van; he said, ‘We have problems.’ I said, ‘Oh, what happened?’ Then he said, ‘Chelsea made an offer.’ I said, ‘So make do, I’ll get back in the van, you’ll make do, and I’ll go to Chelsea, I will not sign with Tottenham.’
“I stayed there for eight hours at the training centre. Tottenham’s director said, ‘I’m going to report you to FIFA, this and that, fans here in England will boo you, this and that.’
“They made up a lot of things. I got stuck there for eight hours. Then I left, and I went straight to meet the Chelsea people to sort the details and sign.”
2. Robinho - Signed to Real Madrid as a player that looked like the heir apparent to Pele. In his first season with Real, Robinho made 37 appearances and scored 14 goals.
In the 2007-2008 La Liga season, Robinho finished with 11 league goals and four goals during Real Madrid's Champions League.
His time at Real Madrid was short-lived, however, due to broken promises. Then-president Ramón Calderón had promised to start talks over a new contract with Robinho halfway through 2007–08 season. Negotiations never materialized. Calderón, however, insisted discussions take place in the summer; again, Calderón reneged on his word. Robinho subsequently revealed contract talks never took place because Madrid hoped to use him as part-exchange to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in 2008. After the failed move for Cristiano, Madrid finally attempted to negotiate a new contract with Robinho, which he rejected and led to him wanting a transfer to Chelsea.
Now to the interesting part. Chelsea and Madrid had already agreed on a deal with Robinho, but for some reason, Chelsea started selling replica Robinho shirts. Chelsea probably thought nothing could go wrong, but Real Madrid took offense to Chelsea selling shirts with Robinho's name on them because he was still their player. As you guessed, Madrid pulled the plug on the deal and instead sold him to Manchester City, who were being taken over by none other than Sheikh Mansour, who needed a statement signing.
Robinho: “I wanted to go to Chelsea, Scolari told me that I would make the difference for him. But Real Madrid ended things badly; they didn’t like Chelsea selling shirts with my name on them. It was a matter of pride for Real Madrid, I’m sure that’s why negotiations failed.” pic.twitter.com/XxwWpNjvXa
— SB (@Realmadridplace) September 10, 2018
3. Malcom - Another Brazilian star who was also the subject of a hijacked transfer deal. Malcom was one of the most sought-out wingers in the summer transfer market of 2018.
The young Brazilian winger was a top target for the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Roma. However, A.S. Roma stole a march on all other suitors, or so they thought. The Giallorossi even announced the move via their official Twitter account.
However, Barcelona had different plans. The Spanish giants stormed in at the last minute, made an 11th-hour bid, and made the French side a better offer, inspiring them to pull out of their deal with Roma. Malcom was unveiled by the La Liga giants the following day to send the football world into a frenzy.
4. Jorghinho - A few seasons ago, Jorginho was deployed as a deep-lying playmaker under Maurizio Sarri. The Italian pulled strings in the middle of the pitch and was vital to "Sarriball" and distributed passes of all types with relative ease.
Jorginho’s performances garnered the interest of Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, who saw him as the club’s priority signing for the summer. A deal was agreed with the Serie A giants, and everything was smooth sailing until Chelsea interfered.
The Blues went in for Jorginho and gave him a better deal. They also provided the allure neither Guardiola nor Manchester City could offer, playing under his favourite manager - Maurizio Sarri. An agreement of £57 million was agreed, and Jorginho moved to London, handing City a transfer blow.
5. John Obi Mikel - Perhaps the most fascinating of transfer dealings. In his early playing days, a talented attacking midfielder led Nigeria to the U20 World Cup Final in 2005, where Argentina defeated them. In the tournament, Mikel was voted the second-best player, with the young Argentine attacker, Lionel Messi, pipping him to the best player at the tournament.
There was an extraordinary tug-of-war between Manchester United and Chelsea for his services, Mikel signed a contract with the Manchester United and unveiled at a press conference in 2005. However, Chelsea claimed they already had an agreement with the player's agent and had arranged his transfer. Mikel also came out to say he had been pressured into singing for Manchester United. After a drawn-out legal dispute, United eventually received £12m from Chelsea, even though he never officially joined them.
Mikel, speaking about how he signed a deal with The Blues, stated, “Roman Abramovich organized six cars to get me there. It was like a military operation.
“I started in one car, then the drivers would talk to each other, and suddenly I was dropped off and then picked up by another car."
6. David Silva - 10 years at Manchester City with 13 medals to boot; David Silva called time on his stint at City, and all roads seemed to lead to Lazio in Italy. According to reports, Lazio offered a deal worth £9 million per year with a lot of incentives - a luxury home in Rome and a private jet.
However, out of the blues, Real Sociedad announced a deal had been struck, and David Silva had signed for their team, leaving Lazio’s president seething.
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