July ’08 Part 2
O’ Shea signed for Everton the next day, it was back to square one. I didn’t care at the time though; I was still in shock over the events of the previous night. Nothing major happened but we talked & arranged what I suppose you could call our first proper date.
I’m still not sure what I want from this or whether I’m doing the right thing. The one thing I think I know is that it’s probably better to find out this way than any other…I think.
Anyway, back to the thing that does make sense, the football & I’d put in a bid for Wigan’s Steven Whittaker, when I got a report saying that John O’ Brien has slipped a disc & would be out for 2 or 3 months.
I also need a striker to back Sharp up, but there isn’t a lot on offer. So I asked Mick to check out a few players though, while I tried to seal the Whittaker deal.
Wigan rejected my initial deal so I enquired over what they would accept & also accepted an offer of just under £1m for Mathieu Berson from Deportivo on the same day.
Big Mick had also taken Bravo with him & got back to me saying he had three options:
- 25 Year Old, Michael Chopra
- 23 Year Old, Dexter Blackstock
- 27 Year Old, Nathan Tyson
I went for Blackstock, called his agent & sent him an offer. Although I sounded out Chopra’s agent as well.
*Phone Rings*
ME: ‘Hello?’
CLARKE: ‘It’s Steve Clarke, Wigan’s manager.’
ME: ‘Oh, Hi Steve, didn’t expect you to ring, I expected you to fax the evaluation over.’
CLARKE: ‘Thought I’d ring you. Down to business, I’d accept £4.9m for Whittaker.’
ME: ‘Jez, that’s a bit steep.’
CLARKE: ‘He’s a good player.’
ME: ‘Yep, I wouldn’t want him otherwise! Still I can’t afford that. Let me see what I can work out & I’ll fax you a revised offer for you to peruse at your own leisure.’
I looked at it & sent him an offer of £4m & 50% sell on clause. Then I got a shock, Chopra wanted to come, under all the conditions I sent his agent. He was so desperate that he’d even rung me himself. Ah! I’d still rather prefer Dexter! Luckily I was able to put him off for a week.
I was right to do so too, 2 days later, Blackstock signed for us. Then I realised QPR were due £1.2m in compensation. I now can’t afford Whittaker. So that was the end of that one. Back to the drawing board, because I still need a Right-back. I started faxing enquiries around like confetti, as well as putting a cheeky £1m bid for someone all three of us know well from our Luton days, Emmerson Boyce.
Then, a couple of days later, Berson agreed a contract with Deportivo & left for £1m & I gave Michael Chopra the bad news that we didn’t want him anymore. He wasn’t best pleased I’ll tell you that!
*Phone Rings*
ME: ‘Hello’
CLARKE: ‘It’s Clarkey again, so if Whittaker’s too much you want my other right back do you? £1.4m please.’
ME: ‘I would love to see ‘Marlene’ again, particularly if I was bossing him about! £1.4m is a steal for that. Agreed.’
Then I went to Italy, for our tour over there, & watching our friendly against Ternana, when Bobby Convey went down under an awful tackle. He’d broken his leg & is probably out until 2009.
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