The problem is he is doing so at Manchester City … the player in question being Alvaro Negredo.
Manchester United have started 2014 in dismal form – after what looked like an upturn throughout December appears to be a red herring.
The club have lost their last three games, all of which have ended 2-1, and go into the tie with Swansea City this weekend knowing it is a must win fixture.
Things have certainly changed since they wiped Swansea aside on the opening day of the season, except one thing … they still need to bring in new players.
However David Moyes has admitted remaining cautious about the January Transfer Window. In the past he has made some good signings in the winter months – the best example perhaps being the loan deal for Mikel Arteta in January 2005.
But what about last January?
Moyes was of course still Everton boss at the time – and made several moves in the window.
He brought in talented defender John Stones and would have signed Leroy Fer were it not for a discrepancy in his medical.
However his big target was Alvaro Negredo.
Everton were led to believe, like many of us, that the financial situation at Negredo’s former club Sevilla had become urgently severe – and that to ease the burden a sale would have to be made.
Moyes and co moved fast – bidding £9 million for the player. However, despite Everton reportedly being willing to bid up to £12 million, Negredo never had any desire to leave in January – as he recently revealed:
“I wanted to wait until it got to the summer before I started looking at other options. I never really considered the possibility of moving last January.”
In the end Negredo of course signed for Manchester City for an initial £16.4 million – and what a move that has proven to be for ‘The Beast’.
He has been City’s most impressive summer recruit – bagging 21 goals in 31 games across all competitions already this season – as City continue to be the bookies favourites to win the title.
And if they do pry away the Championship from their bitter rivals – it will be largely down to a player for whom United boss Moyes once coveted.
image: © Leon Queeley
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