In 2013, David Moyes succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager.
At Old trafford, he faced the daunting task of following a legendary figure. Moyes’ tenure, however, was short-lived, marred by a difficult inaugural season that culminated in his dismissal in April 2014.
One of the significant challenges during his stint was the summer transfer window as it saw the club struggling to secure their top targets.
Moyes, inheriting an ageing squad, aimed to rejuvenate the team with high-profile signings. Speaking on the Up Front podcast, he disclosed that Manchester United had made substantial efforts to bring in two marquee players: Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas.
“Both me and Alex Ferguson said ‘Cesc Fabregas’ and we spoke about him and he said, ‘Yeah we’ll bring Cesc Fabregas in’,” Moyes revealed.
Despite this alignment, the move did not materialize. Fabregas, then at Barcelona, was on the radar after falling out of favor at the end of the season.
Moyes explained, “We spoke to Cesc and Cesc had agreed if he hadn’t been selected in the first game for Barcelona he’d have joined Man United.”
The ambition didn’t stop there. Moyes was also determined to sign Gareth Bale, then a rising star at Tottenham.
“We had made a bigger offer to Tottenham, made bigger offers to him, his agent, we all done it. We had a helicopter waiting to try and get Gareth,” Moyes recounted.
However, despite offering more than Real Madrid, Bale had set his heart on joining the Spanish giants, a decision that Moyes couldn’t sway.
Reflecting on his time at Manchester United, Moyes expressed frustration over the missed opportunities to sign Bale and Fabregas, which could have significantly bolstered his squad.
His tenure at Old Trafford remains a period of ‘what ifs,’ with these near-misses highlighting the challenges he faced in stepping into Ferguson’s shoes.
The impact of not securing these high-profile signings was evident in United’s performance that season. The team finished seventh in the Premier League, their worst finish since 1990, leading to Moyes’ eventual sacking. The struggles in the transfer market undoubtedly played a role in the team’s disappointing campaign.
In addition to Bale and Fabregas, Moyes had his eyes on Everton’s Leighton Baines. However, negotiations were fraught due to lingering tensions with Everton’s chairman, Bill Kenwright, over Moyes’ departure. “Bill was still angry that I hadn’t dealt with things correctly and both in the end fell through,” Moyes said. Baines remained at Everton, while Bale embarked on a highly successful stint at Real Madrid, winning three La Liga titles and five UEFA Champions Leagues.
The failure to secure these top targets left Manchester United with a less-than-stellar summer transfer window. The club managed to sign Marouane Fellaini from Everton on deadline day and acquired Juan Mata from Chelsea in January. However, these signings were underwhelming and not fitting the stature of the club’s ambitions.
Fans and experts criticized Moyes’ solitary summer transfer window, described as ‘terrible’ by the manager himself. The club’s other acquisitions included youngsters Guillermo Varela and Saidy Janko, both of whom made minimal impact. Varela played just 11 games, while Janko featured only once.
Photo credits: IMAGO / BSR Agency : IMAGO / Cordon Press/Miguelez Sports
