6 ultimate transfer hijacks as Nottingham Forest poach Lingard ahead of West Ham
These days, with the rise of social media, transfers are reported in real-time: gone are the days of shock singings and players moving out of the blue.
But that doesn't mean we still are treated to the occasional 90th-minute u-turn as clubs hijack, what seemed a matter of hours ago, a sure-fire deal. Look no further than Nottingham Forest's recent acquisition of Jesse Lingard.
Just last week, Lingard looked set to return to West Ham, where he arguably played the best football of his career. And Daily Star Sport is looking at six transfer deals that were hijacked by other clubs.
Jesse Lingard – Nottingham Forest
Forest are back in the big time for the first time in 23 years, and they have already made their ambitions clear by hijacking West Ham's move for the former England international.
David Moyes was keen to reunite with Lingard, but West Ham were reluctant to pay his £180,000-a-week demands. And as West Ham stalled, Forest swept in, breaking their wage structure so Lingard could pen a deal that could reach £200,000-per-week if he meets certain bonus incentives.
Lingard will also hope the regular first-team football could earn him a sport in Gareth Southgate's World Cup side.
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Willian – Chelsea
Willian was living the high life in Russia, but after collecting a cheque at Anzhi Makhachkala, the Brazilian decided to move to the Premier League.
Tottenham seemed to be leading the race for the winger, and Willian even underwent his medical at White Hart Lane as the transfer seemed to be over the line. That was until Jose Mourinho caught wind of what was happening.
Chelsea swooped in the 11th hour to steal the Brazilian from under the nose of their London rivals.
Robinho – Manchester City
The first signing of the new era for Manchester City was quite the coup, not only was Robinho a Brazilian international, he was snatched under the nose of Chelsea.
The Blues had announced they had agreed personal terms with Robinho, and shirts were even printed with his name.
But just hours after Sheikh Mansour rolled into town, City blindsided Chelsea by signing Robinho with just hours left in the transfer window.
Eusebio – Benfica
In the early 1960s, Benfica's boss Bela Guttmann was tipped off about an extraordinary talent in Mozambique after a chance meeting in the barbers.
There was just one problem, the player in question, Eusebio, played for Lourenco Marques – Sporting Lisbon's feeder club. But that wasn't going to stop Guttmann, and the club whisked Eusebio over to Portugal with a fake name and pitched him up in a hotel.
After short negotiations with his mum, Eusebio was a Benfica player, and things turned out well in the end.
Roy Keane – Manchester United
Roy Keane is safely a Manchester United legend, and it's hard to imagine Sir Alex Ferguson's side with the Irish hardman commanding the midfielder.
But that very nearly happened as free-spending Blackburn Rovers moved in for the then Forest star. Keane had shaken hands with Kenny Dalglish, and a move to Lancashire seemed to be a matter of hours away for the Irishman.
But a game of snooker with Sir Alex convinced Keane that Old Trafford should be his new home.
Jorginho – Chelsea
Another recent example came over the summer of 2018 when a season of rumours looked set to end with Jorginho pulling on the Sky Blue of City.
“I wasn’t supposed to come to Chelsea, man. I was supposed to have arrived at another club. Another English club. But it’s not a secret. If you put it on the internet, you find it. It’s Manchester City," Jorginho later revealed.
It was his Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri's move to Stamford Bridge that convinced the Italian to have a last-minute change of heart.
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