10 Most Memorable Failed Transfer Sagas

By Michael Ramsay /

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1. Gareth Barry €“ Aston Villa To Liverpool

He may be a fan favourite at Goodison Park, but that didn€™t stop him pining for a summer romance with their bitter cross-city rivals four years ago. The definition of the word €˜saga€™, the potential Gareth Barry to Liverpool transfer was a farce, with seasoned professionals publicly disgracing themselves, world-class servants undermined and a flurry of desperate offers chucked at a stoic chairman. It truly had all the hallmarks of a memorable, yet painstakingly drawn out, transfer saga. At the beginning of May, Aston Villa immediately turned down a £10 million bid from Liverpool for their 25 year old skipper. The news of the bid had been instantaneously made public, incurring the ire of Aston Villa manager Martin O€™Neill who preceded to lay the blame squarely at the door of his Liverpool counterpart. The precedent was set for an ugly chain of events.
''Rafa said he was going to respect my wishes. I am not sure he respects anything. I would not then expect this to appear the following day in a newspaper for me to react to.€™€™ €“ Martin O€™Neill, May 2008.
Within two weeks, an improved offer of £12 million had been lodged to no avail. Eager to do business quickly, by the second week of June, a third bid of £13 million had been submitted for the England international, which was greeted with the same, unwelcome response. As a result, Barry seemingly waived all responsibilities of duty as captain to the club, attacking O€™Neill for a lack of urgency in trying to keep him at the club. His reward for such insolence wasn€™t the move he so craved €“ instead the club stripped him of the Villa captaincy, fined him a fortnight€™s wages and banned him from training. Which other protracted transfer sagas belong on this list? Add your suggestions below in the comments thread.