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29 March 2024

Transfer #DeadlineDay: Man United complete deal for Monaco teenager Martial

Spanish newspaper 'Marca' captures the De Gea drama on its back pages

Published
By Agencies

Manchester United have completed the signing of Anthony Martial from Monaco on a four-year deal, the Premier League club said on Tuesday.

The transfer fee was undisclosed but British media reports have estimated it to be around 36 million pounds ($55.17 million).

Having been called up by France for friendlies against Portugal in Lisbon and Serbia in Bordeaux, Martial was allowed to leave the training camp to sign his contract on deadline day.

The clubs announced the deal less than an hour before the Premier League transfer window closed at 1700 GMT.

The 19-year-old scored nine goals in 35 Ligue 1 appearances last season.

"I am so excited to be joining Manchester United. I have enjoyed my time at AS Monaco and I would like to thank them and the fans for everything they have done for me," Martial said in a statement on the club website (www.manutd.com).

"I have always wanted to play in the Premier League and to join the biggest club in the world is what every young footballer dreams of. I am looking forward to meeting my new team mates and working with (manager) Louis van Gaal who has achieved so much in his career."

Van Gaal said: "Anthony is a naturally talented, young, multi-functional forward with great potential. We have been watching him for a while now and he has developed immensely during his time at AS Monaco.

"I am delighted he has joined Manchester United as I believe this is the right club for him to continue his development as a young player. He has all the attributes to become a top football player. However, we need to give him time to adjust to his new environment and the rhythm of the Premier League." 

Berahino strike threat after Spurs' bid rebuffed

West Bromwich Albion striker Saido Berahino has threatened to go on strike after the Premier League club rebuffed two more bids from Tottenham for the England Under-21 international.

Berahino had hoped to be allowed to join Tottenham on transfer deadline day as the north London club stepped up their interest after two recently rejected offers.

But Albion chairman Jeremy Peace snubbed Tottenham's third and then fourth attempts to sign the 22-year-old on Tuesday.

It is understood the bids were only marginally better than Tottenham's second offer, made last month, which would have risen to £21 million ($32 million) with clauses and add-ons.

Peace and Albion manager Tony Pulis are determined to hold onto their star striker, but Berahino, who had a transfer request rejected last month, is furious with the situation, judging by a post on his official Twitter account in which he appeared to threaten to down tools in protest.

"Sad how I can't say exactly how the club has treated me but I can officially say I will never play Jeremy Peace," he tweeted.

Berahino, who scored 20 goals last season, has been left out of West Brom's last three squads as the transfer saga heated up, with Pulis insisting at the weekend he was not in the right state of mind to play.

And Peace responded to Berahino's outburst by accusing Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy of unsettling the player with his attempts to sign him for a cut-price fee.

"We have a key player who has been very unsettled by antics which were designed to get him out of our club cheaply," Peace told Albion's website.

"Those tactics have continued despite my making our position clear in my first conversation with Daniel Levy on this subject in mid-August.

"I said selling Saido so late in the window was not on our agenda. Tottenham's offers failed substantially to reflect Saido's true value while the timing made no allowance for our own recruitment of a suitable replacement for a proven Premier League goalscorer.

"Saido has been unsettled to the point where our Head Coach has not felt able to select him for our last three games.

"We are now left with the task of repairing the damage created by this unfortunate episode."

 

Real Madrid pin blame on Man Utd for De Gea deal collapse

 

Real Madrid have blamed Manchester United for the collapse of goalkeeper David de Gea's move to the Spanish giants, claiming the English side sent the documents needed to complete the deal after the Spanish transfer deadline had passed.

Madrid seemed set to conclude the long-running transfer saga with a deal that would see the Spanish giants pay a significant transfer fee for De Gea and send Costa Rican international goalkeeper Keylor Navas to United as part of the deal.

However, Spanish league sources confirmed that the player hadn't been registered and Madrid admitted they had sent the required documentation to the league after the window closed at midnight local time (2200GMT) on Monday.

"Manchester United introduced into the Transfer Matching System (TMS) the details for the transfer of David de Gea, not those for Keylor Navas, at 00:00 Spanish time, sending simultaneously to Real Madrid the signed transfer contracts. Real Madrid received the complete documentation at 00:02 and tried to access the TMS but this was already closed," Madrid said in a lengthy statement posted on their website on Tuesday.

"Madrid, facing the possibility of a contentious situation in the transfer of the player, decided to send the contracts to the Spanish Professional League, even knowing the deadline had already passed.

"In conclusion, Real Madrid did everything necessary in every moment to try to finalise these two transfers."

Despite Madrid's prolonged interest in De Gea, they claim negotiations between the two clubs for the player didn't begin until Monday morning.

Real Madrid haven't indicated whether they intend to appeal to football's governing body FIFA in an attempt to force the transfer through.

Fifa refused to comment on the specific details of the case when contacted by AFP on Tuesday, but confirmed that no appeal had been lodged by any of the parties involved.

"Up until now, we do not appear to have been contacted by either of the parties in this matter," said a FIFA spokesperson.

De Gea has just one year left on his contract at Old Trafford meaning he could join Madrid for free next year if the transfer doesn't go through now.

The Spanish press slammed Madrid's failure to deliver their prized target in the transfer market this summer with the front pages of sports newspapers Marca and Sport describing the situation as ‘ridiculous.’

The Spanish international hasn't featured in any of United's six games so far this season with manager Louis van Gaal claiming the 24-year-old wasn't focused at the English giants due to Madrid's interest.

Madrid were in the market for a goalkeeper after Spain captain Iker Casillas ended his 25-year association with the club by moving to Porto in July.

De Gea joined United from Real's city rivals Atletico Madrid in 2011 and, despite a shaky start went on to shine, winning the club's fans' and players' player of the year awards for the past two seasons.

However, he refused to sign a new deal with United due to his desire to return to Spain with Real.

A standoff between the two clubs ensued with United also expressing their interest in Real captain Sergio Ramos over the summer before he ended speculation over his future by signing a new five-year deal with Los Blancos.

Man United hit panic button with Martial signing

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal promised that there would be no panic signings before the transfer deadline but the recruitment of French forward Anthony Martial appears to be exactly that.

Van Gaal has been linked with some of Europe's leading forwards, including Thomas Mueller, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, but he has turned to 19-year-old Martial to boost his threadbare attacking resources though the deal was yet to be officially confirmed by United or Monaco.

Captain Wayne Rooney did not have the faintest idea who Martial was and had to turn to team mate Morgan Schneiderlin to get the low-down when news of United's reported bid for the 19-year-old Frenchman broke.
United have scored three goals in their first four Premier League games with Wayne Rooney deployed as the main striker but the England captain has been subdued.

Van Gaal opted to let Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao leave Old Trafford, leaving Rooney and the callow James Wilson as his only specialist forwards.

United do have players like Memphis Depay, Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini capable of supporting Rooney in different ways but it is extremely surprising that Van Gaal has not brought in a more experienced striker.

"They've not got enough cutting edge," former United defender Gary Neville said on Sky Sports.

"They haven't got players who can beat players in the final third, they don't create enough. For me they get lulled into thinking they are playing football really well.

"They dominate possession but they don't dominate matches. You dominate a match by scoring goals and playing at a high tempo. Win the game and then control possession."

Van Gaal has also failed to sign the dominant central defender United have lacked since Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand left the club last year.

Chris Smalling and Daley Blind have started the first four games at the heart of the United defence but although Blind provides a calming presence his lack of physicality was exposed in the 2-1 defeat by Swansea City on Sunday.

Van Gaal has bolstered his midfield with the signings of Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger and the former, in particular, has settled in well in the holding role.

Memphis scored two fine goals in the Champions League qualifying win over Club Bruges at Old Trafford but he has struggled to make an impact in the league.

Although United have conceded only two goals in four league games, the Old Trafford crowd will not accept a functional team which is hard to break down.

The ease with which Swansea came from a goal down to score twice in five minutes showed that is not the case anyway and the lack of creativity is a genuine cause for concern.  

All eyes on Manchester United 

Manchester United were the centre of attention as the Premier League's transfer deadline day dawned on Tuesday, with moves involving David de Gea and Anthony Martial awaiting completion.

Goalkeeper De Gea had appeared on the brink of a move to Real Madrid worth between 30 million ($33.8 million) and 40 million euros and involving Keylor Navas in part-exchange, only for the deal to collapse at the last minute.

A Spanish Professional League (LFP) spokesperson told AFP that De Gea had not been registered as a Madrid player, as sources close to both clubs reportedly blamed each other for the deal breaking down late on Monday.

Having pinpointed De Gea as a transfer target since the beginning of the transfer window, Madrid may now elect to appeal to world governing body FIFA to ratify the transfer.

Meanwhile, United are expected to confirm a staggering deal for 19-year-old Monaco striker Anthony Martial, who left France's training camp on Monday in order to sign a contract at Old Trafford.

With United struggling for goals, they have elected to take a gamble on the talented but inexperienced Martial, who has played only 52 Ligue 1 games for Monaco, scoring 11 goals.

British media reports said that United would pay around £36 million ($55.2 million, 49 million euros) for the uncapped former Lyon youngster, which would make him the most expensive teenager in the game's history.

But reports in France claimed the fee could eventually reach the dizzying sum of 80 million euros, on a par with what Madrid paid Monaco for Colombia star James Rodriguez a year ago.

Financial consultants Deloitte said that gross Premier League spending in the close-season window had already reached £790 million, just £45 million short of the record for a single window of £835 million, set last year.

"Last year we saw £85 million of spending on deadline day and with further business expected over the coming hours, it looks set to be another record summer of spending for the Premier League," said Alex Thorpe from Deloitte's Sports Business Group.

"This level of spending continues to be driven in large part by the increases in domestic and overseas broadcast revenue in recent years."

In early deadline-day business, Everton announced the signing of Argentine centre-back Ramiro Funes Mori from River Plate on a five-year contract for a fee of £9.5 million.

Having been rebuffed three times in their pursuit of Everton defender John Stones, Chelsea signed Senegal centre-back Papy Djilobodji from Nantes on a four-year deal, the French club announced.

Meanwhile, West Ham United have brought in Alex Song and Victor Moses on loan, from Barcelona and Chelsea respectively, and signed Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic from Hull City on a two-year deal.

EARLIER REPORT

Chelsea bid for China's 'Zhangmos' on hold

Chelsea's potential move for Guangzhou Evergrande defender Zhang Linpeng has been put on hold after the two sides failed to reach key agreements ahead of the transfer deadline, an official at the Chinese club said.

Liu Yongzhuo, a board member of the deep-pocketed Chinese champions, said it was ‘too late’ to seal the deal but held out hope of an agreement in the upcoming winter transfer window.

Liu also stressed Guangzhou's ‘seriousness’ about a deal for the 26-year-old right-back, dubbed ‘Zhangmos’ by fans who compare him to Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos.

In a letter to Chelsea's CEO which he posted on his Twitter-style weibo account, he revealed a number of sticking points including over Zhang's work permit.

Chelsea also refused to guarantee a place for Zhang in their team if the necessary paperwork was secured, Liu added.

"If it's too late to catch the summer (transfer), we can talk at the end of the year as long as (Zhang) can go to play for Chelsea," he said, quoting Evergrande president Xu Jiayin.

Song and Moses join West Ham on loan

Former Cameroon international Alex Song and Nigeria winger Victor Moses have joined West Ham United on season-long loan deals, the Premier League club announced on Tuesday.

Former Arsenal midfielder Song, who announced his international retirement earlier this year, spent last season on loan at West Ham from Barcelona, making 31 appearances in all competitions.

"It has just been confirmed. Alex Song has signed a season-long loan deal to join West Ham," West Ham co-owner David Gold wrote on Twitter. "Welcome back Alex."

Song, 27, told the West Ham website: "I am very happy. When I left, I didn't know I would come back here. It was not easy, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is I'm here now and I'm very happy.

"I feel at home, everything feels at home, for my family too, they're set up very well here. My kids are playing for West Ham academy."

Moses, 24, arrives on loan from Premier League champions Chelsea.

The powerful wide player joined Chelsea from Wigan Athletic in August 2012, but has spent the last two seasons out on loan at Liverpool and Stoke City.

Song and Moses are West Ham's eighth and signings of the transfer window, following goalkeeper Darren Randolph, defenders Angelo Ogbonna and Carl Jenkinson and midfielders Pedro Obiang, Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini and George Dobson.

EARLIER REPORTS:

Everton complete signing of defender Ramiro Funes Mori for a fee of £9.5m on a five-year deal.

Papy Chelsea

Chelsea are close to signing Nantes defender Papy Djilobodji, the Daily Mail writes. The 6ft 4ins Senegal international has been courted by Celtic, Southampton, Newcastle, Leicester and Sunderland this summer. 

Cavani

On Cavani / Rabiot to Arsenal... PSG sources saying last night that no  deals (in or out of club) would be done today. @ BBC Sport's Richard Conway ‏@richard_conway on Twitter

West Ham sign Alex Song on season-long loan from Barcelona, says BBC.

Rojo?

United have received offers for defender Marcos Rojo, but he wants to stay.

Young striker James Wilson could go out on loan.

Adnan Januzaj was the first out of the door on Monday, joining Borussia Dortmund on a season-long loan. He was closely followed by Javier Hernandez, who signed for Bayer Leverkusen for 10 million euros (£7.3million). Anders Lindegaard became the third United player to leave on Monday when he signed for West Brom on a free transfer.

Arsene, Arsenal and Cavani

The Daily Mail reports that Arsenal held talks with Paris Saint-Germain on Monday over Edinson Cavani and Adrien Rabiot. Arsene Wenger is keen on the PSG pair.

Monaco forward Anthony Martial has been given permission by France coach Didier Deschamps "to travel to England to sign a contract with Manchester United", the French Football Federation announced on Monday.

The announcement comes amid reports in France that the Premier League club are willing to pay a huge fee of anywhere between 50 million and 80 million euros (£36.5m-58.4m; $56m-89.6m) to sign the teenager.

That would represent a remarkable sum for a player who cost Monaco around five million euros from Lyon in the summer of 2013, and OL president Jean-Michel Aulas said his club stand to make around 10 million euros as part of a sell-on clause agreed when that transfer went through.

The 19-year-old striker was given a full international call-up for the first time by Deschamps for France's friendly games against Portugal in Lisbon on Friday and Serbia in Bordeaux on Monday. 

Rojo

The early forecast is David De Gea may well stay and Marcos Rojo might be the surprise exit. The British media are reporting that Argentine defender Rojo had a serious bust-up with Louis van Gaal and that might put his future in doubt.

De Gea

The transfer window in Spain closed Monday without a deal announced for the expected move of Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea to Real Madrid, with local media reporting the deal fell through because the paperwork wasn't submitted on time.

Madrid and United had been negotiating a deal that included Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas moving the other way, but the clubs apparently failed to register the paperwork with the Spanish league offices before midnight local time.

If the deal falls through, De Gea could be forced to return to United despite having been dropped from the team by manager Louis van Gaal as the talks dragged on. Van Gaal has said De Gea had his heart set on a move back to his hometown.

It was unclear whether the clubs would appeal to league authorities or FIFA in an attempt to push the deal through.