logo
Man Utd youngster's transfer left manager demanding 'blatant manipulation' probe

Man Utd youngster's transfer left manager demanding 'blatant manipulation' probe

Daily Mirror11-05-2025

Tottenham face Crystal Palace this afternoon and one of the players to have featured for both in recent years was previously involved in a transfer drama that left Sir Alex Ferguson fuming
Of the 17 players to have played for both Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League era, Zeki Fryers is among the more likely who would go down as a Pointless answer.
But the left back was once part of a controversial transfer that left Sir Alex Ferguson fuming and calling for a Football Association investigation into what he claimed was 'blatant manipulation.'

Fryers had left United for Belgian club Standard Liege in August 2012 for a small compensation fee after Spurs refused to pay £6m. Except by the following January Spurs had paid Standard £3m for Fryers, who claimed he was feeling homesick.

"I'm disappointed in Tottenham. I think it's a blatant manipulation of the situation," Ferguson said not long after the transfer to north London went through. "I think the league should look into it and I think they should stop his registration until they examine it."
Tottenham claimed afterwards that they only made a second approach for Fryers after being made aware that he was not enjoying life in Belgium.
A Spurs spokesman said at the time: "Zeki enjoyed his time at Standard, however, when Standard sacked their manager in November Zeki wasn't part of the new manager's plans which he accepts and understands happens in football. Unfortunately, a combination of this and the fact he had become homesick meant he wanted to return to England.
"His representatives made contact with clubs in England. This afforded us a second opportunity to sign the player and as per Fifa's solidarity contribution mechanism, Manchester United will receive 5 per cent of the transfer fee we have paid."
Standard Liege later issued a statement which read: "The young defender felt homesick and had difficulty acclimating to life away from home and family. So when the London club became interested we understood the situation and were not opposed to the return of the player in England."

But fuming Ferguson added: "They tried to buy him from us at the end of last season. They then took him on trial and said they couldn't afford him and all of a sudden he signed for Standard Liege. I expected him to go to Tottenham in the January transfer window. The league should look into it."
Fryers, who was most recently playing in the Swedish third tier, went on to make 16 appearances in 18 months at Spurs before moving to Palace, for whom he made 14 appearances.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'He buzzes off playing for Celtic'
'He buzzes off playing for Celtic'

BBC News

time23 minutes ago

  • BBC News

'He buzzes off playing for Celtic'

Former Celtic captain Scott Brown spoke to BBC Scotland about his former team-mate and pal Kieran Tierney returning to Glasgow: "He's an absolute die-hard Celtic fan."He just absolutely buzzes off playing for Celtic. "It was a hard decision for him to go, but I think it was the right decision. He waited until the end of the season, he left, and he knew he had a chance to go down to a huge, huge club."He went there, he played, and everyone loved him to start with. He went out on loan, played, and everyone loved him there."He was one of the quickest in the Premier League last year, over 10, 15 yards. He excites people, but it's a desire. Even in Scotland games, he breezes by players."When we were at Celtic and he came through, I thought, 'this guy's got something'. "You can see his willingness, his desire to go through. He broke his leg in a tackle to try and I loved that. I was like, he wants to tackle because it's missing for the young ones. They don't want a tackle, they want to just put a foot in and just feel. "The wee man has got absolute legs of steel and wants to go and fight. "He wants to go and fight for the cause and I think that's what Celtic fans love about him."

Man Utd agreement reached on £68m star as club receive three-word transfer plea
Man Utd agreement reached on £68m star as club receive three-word transfer plea

Daily Mirror

time26 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Man Utd agreement reached on £68m star as club receive three-word transfer plea

Eberechi Eze enjoyed his best game in an England shirt against Senegal off the back of a stellar FA Cup-winning campaign, which has caught the eye of more than one Manchester United icon Manchester United legends Dwight Yorke and Paul Scholes agree that the club must sign Eberechi Eze for £68million this summer. Eze, 26, has been outstanding since joining Crystal Palace in 2020 and enjoyed his best season to date in 2024/25. The playmaker scored 14 goals and registered 11 assists for Oliver Glasner 's side, including netting the winner in the FA Cup final against Manchester City to hand the Eagles their first-ever major trophy. That impressive form has seen the England international linked with rival Premier League clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur. ‌ And during England's 3-1 defeat to Senegal on Tuesday, where Eze played the full 90 minutes, United hero Scholes saw enough evidence to believe he would thrive at Old Trafford. ‌ Taking to Instagram during the game, Scholes posted a picture of Eze in an England shirt with a three-word transfer plea, telling United bosses to: 'Just buy him.' Eze reportedly has a £68m release clause in his Palace contract, which can be activated this summer. Speaking last month, Scholes' former Red Devils team-mate, Dwight Yorke, also urged United to make a move for the player. 'Eberechi Eze at Crystal Palace would be perfect for Manchester United," Yorke said. 'Yeah, he scored at the weekend in the FA Cup final, but it's not just about that. A year ago, maybe more, I said this kid and Michael Olise – who went to Bayern – United should buy them for £100 million. 'Put £100m down and you will get two fantastic players. Instead, they listened to the figures in the hierarchy, which is understandable, but it's glaring just how good these two are. 'Eze has the decision-making, the talent, he's a good athlete, he can create and score. He's at the right age to step up and play on a bigger platform. It's a no-brainer.' ‌ Former QPR talent Eze was outstanding again for England this week despite a woeful overall team performance. He stood out in a central role, winning the ball back from Lamine Camara in the lead-up to England's opening goal. But he truly came alive after the hour mark, combining excellently with substitutes Morgan Gibbs-White and Morgan Rogers by being at the heart of England's best period of the game. Despite excelling in a No. 10 role, Eze would likely play just behind the striker in Ruben Amorim's trademark 3-4-2-1 formation if United manage to sign him. Any such deal could also see him partner up with the likes of Bruno Fernandes and new signing Matheus Cunha to form an exciting new front three. ‌ United are, however, prioritising the signing of a new striker and appear to be settled on going for Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo over the likes of other attack-minded midfielders like Eze after it was revealed that Fernandes would stay at the club this summer. Viktor Gyokeres is believed to be their number one target, though United have also been linked with Victor Osimhen and Benjamin Sesko to a lesser extent.

Man City seal £46.3m signing of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan
Man City seal £46.3m signing of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan

Leader Live

time43 minutes ago

  • Leader Live

Man City seal £46.3m signing of midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan

The Premier League club have confirmed the 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium. His arrival makes it four signings in a week for City, who announced deals for £30.5m midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon and Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli on Tuesday, while left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri joined from Wolves in a £31.3m move on Monday. Those transfers have been finalised in time for the players to be registered for the group stages of the Club World Cup this month. Reijnders arrives at City after impressing in an otherwise disappointing season at Milan, who finished eighth in Serie A and missed out on qualification for Europe. Welcome to City, Tijjani! 🩵 — Manchester City (@ManCity) June 11, 2025 He scored 15 goals in the 2024-25 campaign and will bolster Pep Guardiola's midfield options following this summer's departure of Kevin De Bruyne. The Dutchman said: 'I am ecstatic to be signing for Manchester City. City are one of the biggest teams in the world, with the best coach, world-class players and outstanding facilities. 'Under Pep Guardiola, City have won so many titles and I want to help keep that going with a lot more success in the coming years. It is also a dream come true to play in the Premier League. 'This league has seen many of the best Dutch players perform through the years and it's an inspiration to follow in their footsteps. 'I am really looking forward to getting going, meeting the other players and showing the Manchester City fans what I can do.' The deal is sealed ✍️🤩 — Manchester City (@ManCity) June 11, 2025 City's latest transfer activity continues an overhaul of the squad that began with the January signings of Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis. Further deals are also possible as the club respond to a disappointing season in which they failed to mount a strong Premier League title defence and exited the Champions League before the last 16. Director of football Hugo Viana added: 'We are very happy that Tijjani has joined us and we're excited for him to join Pep's squad. 'Tijjani adds extra energy, composure and creativity to our midfield, and working with Pep and our coaches will only see him go from strength to strength.' City will play their first match in the Club World Cup against Morocco's Wydad Casablanca on June 18 and have further group games against Al Ain of Abu Dhabi and Juventus.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store