A £22 million signing from FC Porto last summer, Joao Moutinho was part of the double deal that took James Rodriguez to Monaco. However, there was a summer where it seemed that the Portuguese midfielder was destined for the bright lights of the Premier League, with David Moyes hell-bent on luring the then-Sporting Lisbon dynamo to Goodison Park. Testing the waters with an £11.8 million offer for the industrious Portuguese international in July 2008, Sporting Lisbon quickly issued a statement declaring that they had rejected the English clubs bid for their captain. A common trait of the common transfer saga is the subjects head turning, indicating his desire to leave his parent club in search of new ventures. Following a pre-season victory over Blackburn Rovers in Portugal, Moutinho declared his intentions to sign for the Toffees, stating that he hoped there will be an agreement that will be good for everyone concerned. Unperturbed, the Evertonians used the funds received from the departing Andy Johnson in a £10 million deal to Fulham to raise their bid to a club-record £15 million. However, this was once more rebuffed by the stubborn Portuguese side, reluctant to part company with their prized asset. With the clock ticking down on the transfer window, Moyes displayed the sort of drive that Manchester United supporters wished they had seen more of during his tenure, as he pushed the club to lodge a third bid, believed to be in the region of £18 million for the coveted international. To their dismay, however, Sporting once more swatted away the offer, leaving the star-crossed lovers destined to never be together.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
