With Chelsea FC signing Pedro, here’s the story behind one of the greatest transfer swoops for some time
It seemed to come out of nowhere. Manchester United (and their fans) had been talking up the imminent arrival of Barcelona’s Pedro, but in the space of a few hours on Wednesday morning, they suddenly fell silent. Chelsea FC had jumped out of a hedge to ambush Louis Van Gaal and make the Spaniard one of their own.
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It was arguably the most bizarre non-deadline day couple of hours in transfer window history. There were rumours following Chelsea’s humiliation at the hands of Manchester City that the Blues had reignited their interest in Pedro. However, this was picked up by few major outlets given that United had all-but-sealed the deal..
Perhaps they should have paid more attention. As I awoke from my slumber and got ready to head to the gym, a brief check of my Twitter feed showed that Chelsea had somehow become favourites to sign the Barcelona forward. The deal was confirmed earlier today.
Wondering how it happened? Well Duncan Castles, a writer for numerous publications including The Times and our friends over at Sports Illustrated, tells us exactly how Jose Mourinho and co. pulled off what could only be regarded as a heist.
The success of the transfer was due to a mixture of poor decisions by Manchester United, opportune interventions from Chelsea management and a personal approach from the boss.
"On Tuesday evening, Chelsea director Marina Granavoskaia [sic] presented Barcelona with a formal offer. The same night, Jose Mourinho contacted Pedro to assure him of his importance to the Chelsea manager’s plans for the season."
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Reports stated that the ill-treatment of ex-teammate Victor Valdes and fellow Spanish international David De Gea had sowed the seeds of doubt in Pedro’s mind regarding a Manchester switch. This conversation between the boss and the forward was undoubtedly key in convincing, and reassuring, the player that he would be one of the main men at Stamford Bridge.
Furthermore, we have also learnt that Cesc Fabregas had permission to get in touch with the 28-year-old, while Cesc’s girlfriend Daniella Semaan made what could well be regarded as the most important contribution.
"With Mourinho and Fabregas working on Pedro, Semaan made contact with the Spaniard’s wife, Carolina Martin, about moving to London. – The Telegraph"
Castles, meanwhile, reveals that due to various circumstances Ed Woodward (Manchester United Executive Vice Chairman) was still negotiating the fee with the Catalans on Tuesday, despite having already agreed personal terms with the player. The Blues then put in a bid during United’s Tuesday night Champions League clash with Club Bruges.
"As United faced FC Brugge in a critical Champions League qualifier at Old Trafford, Barca informed Pedro that a more attractive offer had arrived from Chelsea, and that the London club had sought permission to negotiate a salary. The player’s representatives asked to be given time to discuss the situation and immediately attempted to contact United without success."
Louis Van Gaal would then tell his superiors that a higher bid was unnecessary, and that the onus was on Pedro to force Barcelona to allow him to leave for whatever price they were offering. This was United’s biggest mistake.
"That provoked a conversation between Pedro’s agents and Chelsea in which the London club agreed to match the salary package previously negotiated with United. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Chelsea provided tickets for Pedro to fly to London to formalize the transfer."
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The inability of such a rich club in Manchester United to meet Barcelona’s modest requirements raises some eyebrows. While football fans everywhere are ridiculing them for letting Pedro slip through their fingers, Castles suggests that Man Utd weren’t actually that interested.
"Some close to Pedro suspect the Spaniard may never have been United’s first choice for the position, and that their vacillation hid parallel attempts to secure an alternative target."
Whatever the United situation may be, Chelsea fans don’t care. Pedro is a Blues player and they are damn well happy about it. This has been a shocking start to the season for the West Londoners and the arrival of the Spaniard has done a lot to lift the mood.
Let’s see him start on Sunday then, Jose.
These are just excerpts from Duncan Castles’ full piece, which can be found at this link. All quotes, unless stated otherwise, are taken from Castles’ article.
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