‘Typical Daniel Levy’ – Ferguson tells brilliant story about Tottenham-Manchester United transfer
By Matt Farr
Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson has delivered a thinly-veiled dig at Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy for his handling of transfer negotiations.
The ex-Old Trafford manager signed emidfielder Michael Carrick from the north London club for £18million in 2006, but admitted to MUTV that the transfer was far from straightforward.
He explained that Levy had made life very difficult for the club to land the England international, demanding more money from the club even at the point when Ferguson thought the deal was done.
He said: “I must say negotiations were very difficult and went on for ages.
“I always remember I thought it was done and [former chief executive] David Gill phoned me on the golf course to say they want more. Typical Daniel Levy!
“It was very hard to negotiate but, at the end of the day, we got it through and, ever since he joined us, he’s had a fantastic career.”
Ferguson’s brilliant story about United’s transfer struggles behind the scenes will come as little surprise to fans, with Levy being notorious in the game for his hard ball approach to negotiations.
As he nears the end of his 11th season with the club, Carrick has proven to be one of the most valuable signings of the Premier League era.
He has made 444 appearances in all competitions for Manchester United, and despite turning 36 this summer, is still very capable of performing at the top level.
Carrick has made 25 appearances under Jose Mourinho this term and is out of contract at the end of the season.
Reports suggest that Manchester United are now looking to open negotiations to sign another of Tottenham’s midfield stars, Eric Dier, but Mourinho is likely to face similar difficulties in handling Levy.
In other Tottenham news, fans react on Twitter to the news that the injured Erik Lamela is set to undergo surgery.
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