‘I had 90% of Premier League after me – only Chelsea and Spurs didn’t make bid’

Former Premier League star Greg Halford claims 90% of top-flight teams tried to sign him early on in his career.

The defender, now 38 and still playing for Hashtag United, made waves breaking through into a Colchester United side which he helped gain promotion to the Championship with as a teenager. His promise earned him four caps for England's Under-20s side.

And it also attracted plenty of transfer attention. Halford ultimately joined Reading in the 2007 January transfer window before quickly moving onto Sunderland that summer.

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Explaining how it all came about, Halford said on Undr The Cosh: "It was the season where Sunderland were really struggling first half of the season, we ended up playing them away in December and got a draw.

"At that time they did a home and away man of the match. Me and Grant Leadbitter were held in this room and Quinny [Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn] comes in. He was like ‘what you doing in January, we’d like to sign you’.

"At that time I had literally 90% of the Premier League wanting to sign me. I was like they’re struggling in the Championship, I don’t really want to go because I knew I’m going straight to the Prem in January.

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"So I just said 'look, I’m flattered, but I think things are going to happening differently in January', knowing that I was going to the Premier League."

Expanding on his 90% comment, he went on to add: "I think it was only Chelsea and Spurs that didn’t put an offer in."

Halford failed to establish himself at then-Prem side Reading and newly-promoted Sunderland finally got their man. But it didn't work out for him with the Black Cats either, having spells on loan at Charlton and Sheffield United before joining Wolves permanently.

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Explaining why he turned down the top clubs, Halford said: "I thought at that time I didn’t want to go too big, too quickly.

"I thought it would be harder for me to get into the team, whereas Reading kind of mirrored Colchester to a certain point, where it was a family club, a smaller club in the Premier League.

"I thought I’d be able to fit well into how they played and having spoken to [manager Steve] Coppell, I just felt it would be best for me and my career going to next level after that."

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