Geography cant have been a strong point for the Aston Villa negotiators following this strange signing back in 1998. Then-West Ham defender David Unsworth was looking for a move from the Hammers in 98 after joining from Everton a year before, with reports suggesting his family werent settling well in London as they were originally from Merseyside. But that didnt stop Aston Villa splashing out £3M for a homesick player - who strangely agreed to move - despite the Birmingham club being 100 miles away from Liverpool. Unsworth never made an appearance for the Midlands outfit, and lasted just a month at the club that summer too, citing problems with the commute and his familys inability to settle in Birmingham, before negotiating a deal to sign for former side Everton. While Aston Villa lost the minimum with the deal, why they thought Birmingham would be a better commute to Liverpool than London is baffling, and Unsworths quick snub left the hierarchy red-faced that summer.
Crippy Cooke, 23, is a freelance Football Writer contributing to What Culture. He's had work featured on Zoo, MSN, London 24, The Telegraph, The Huffington Post, and was recently named Writer of the Year on FTBpro - while also a nominee for Best Male Blog in the Football Blogging Awards.
