Football Dynasty-Chapter 55: Dragging Out The Transfer

The following month marked the opening of the 1990/1991 English First Division, and of course, football wouldn't be the same without the transfer market kicking things off.

Before diving into that, there was some important news from the national team: Graham Taylor, manager of Aston Villa, was appointed as the successor to Bobby Robson as England manager.

Prior to this, England had lost 2–1 to host nation Italy in the World Cup third-place play-off. In the final, West Germany triumphed over Argentina 1–0, with a penalty from Brehme in the 85th minute, securing West Germany's third World Cup title before reunification.

In other news, the English Football League confirmed that the First Division would revert to 22 clubs for the 1991–92 season. Meanwhile, the total league membership would increase to 94 clubs for the 1992–93 season, with the Second, Third, and Fourth Divisions each having 24 clubs.

Leeds United were among the first to make their move, preparing for their First Division comeback by signing midfielder Gary McAllister from Leicester City for £1 million.

Chelsea then followed suit, paying a club-record £1.6 million for Wimbledon winger Dennis Wise, and also bringing in Norwich City midfielder Andy Townsend for £1.2 million.

Not wanting to be left behind, Manchester City, under Howard Kendall, made three signings. First, they brought in Neil Pointon from Everton, with Andy Hinchcliffe moving the other way. City then paid Watford £1 million for goalkeeper Tony Coton and Middlesbrough £400,000 for Mark Brennan.

Meanwhile, Arsenal strengthened their squad by signing Swedish winger Anders Limpar from Italian side Cremonese for £1 million. Everton also made their move, bringing in midfielder Mike Milligan from Oldham Athletic for £1 million.

With the transfer window near closing, the first major event was the Charity Shield, where Liverpool, the previous season's league champions, faced Manchester United, the FA Cup winners.

The game ended in a 1–1 draw, meaning the Charity Shield was shared between the two clubs.

Richard had assumed the transfer market would follow its usual course, with the typical moves taking place. However, he didn't expect Aston Villa to make a £1.1 million bid to Millwall for Tony Cascarino in the final minutes!

"Do you want to leave?" Richard asked, eyeing Tony Cascarino, who was wearing a blue hoodie and dark sunglasses while sipping his black coffee.

"What do you think?" Tony replied, his eyes never leaving the mug.

Richard didn't give an immediate response. Instead, he leaned back, thinking for a moment. To be honest, if Tony had asked him directly, he would've suggested he wait another season or two.

His partnership with Sheringham was just beginning to gel, and this was his debut season in the First Division with Millwall. If he left now, would it be a wasted opportunity?

Follow current novels on freewebnσvel.cѳm.

Would the famous partnership between Sheringham and Tony ever get the chance to truly shine in the First Division?

Richard thought about it and turned to Tony, sharing his thoughts.

Tony listened carefully. There was a lot to think about: a potential move to a top-flight club like Aston Villa, but at what cost? Leaving so soon after the breakthrough might leave a feeling of unfinished business, especially with the potential of his current partnership still unproven.

"Take your time," Richard added, breaking the silence. "You don't want to rush into something that might not be right for you in the long run."

Tony nodded as Richard spoke, but then hesitated. "But how do I reject them? It's going to be difficult, right? Millwall's already accepted the money."

"It's not easy, I get that," Richard said. "But this is part of the job as an agent, so you don't need to get distracted by this." He then waved his hand, signaling to Tony that at least for now, he shouldn't worry too much.

After that, Richard also considered the minimum salary, just in case the offer exceeded what Tony had expected, in case Aston Villa truly became desperate for Tony's services before heading to Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, England.

Richard arrived at Villa Park, where he was warmly welcomed by the representatives from Aston Villa. After exchanging pleasantries, they sat down to discuss the details of the potential transfer.

"We've reviewed Tony Cascarino situation," the Villa representative began, "and we're prepared to offer Tony a very competitive salary. Additionally, there's a substantial signing bonus on the table."

Richard nodded, reviewing the contract. "As Tony's agent, I appreciate the offer," he said, taking a moment to assess the terms. "But let me be clear—I need to discuss the specifics with Tony. This is a big decision for him, and I want to make sure everything aligns with what he's looking for."

The Aston Villa representatives exchanged impatient glances. With the transfer market closing soon, time was running out, and they were anxious to wrap things up.

The discussion over salary dragged on. Richard was firm in his stance. "Tony's looking for £1,800 a week, plus £50 per goal scored," he said. "We need to ensure this deal is right for him."

The Villa representatives hesitated. "We can only offer £1,000 a week," one of them said, clearly trying to manage expectations.

Richard shook his head. "That's simply not enough for a player of Tony's caliber."

"But Cascarino is playing in the First Division for the first time," they countered.

The tension in the room grew. Richard adjusted his stance. "Alright, let's meet in the middle. £1,500 per week, plus the £30 per goal."

Still, Aston Villa remained unmoved. "It's not going to work for us at £1,500. We've got our limits," the representative replied.

The minutes ticked by, the clock relentlessly ticking down to the transfer deadline. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Villa representative sighed. "Fine. £1,250 a week, and we'll throw in the £15 per goal."

Richard looked at the contract and nodded, weighing the decision. It wasn't perfect, but it was as close as they were going to get.

"Alright," he said, shaking hands with the Villa representatives. "We have a deal."

With the clock ticking down, they rushed to finalize everything. The medical examination had already been scheduled, but there was no time to waste. However, as they raced to complete the formalities, the deadline loomed large.

Cascarino was confused by this. He thought the discussion was for Richard to delay it, but Richard reassured him that everything was going to be alright.

As expected, despite the frantic final push, they simply didn't make it in time. The transfer fell through at the last moment, with Tony unable to complete the medical in time to officially seal the deal.

It was a tough blow for both sides, particularly for Aston Villa and Millwall management. They cursed Richard, but he wasn't intimidated. For one, this wasn't his fault—he had followed all the proper procedures in the deal. Secondly, there was no involvement from City.

After Tony Cascarino, the season finally began.

Liverpool began their defense of the First Division title with a solid 3–1 away win against recently promoted Sheffield United. Arsenal, aiming for their second league title in three seasons, kicked off their campaign with a 3–0 victory over Wimbledon at Plough Lane.

The highlight of the opening week was Leeds United's fine First Division comeback, as they secured a 3–2 away win over Everton.

However, shortly after the match, Leeds were warned that they risked expulsion from the Football League if measures to curb hooliganism involving their fans were not implemented.

City began the season at White Hart Lane, where a star-studded Tottenham team, featuring England internationals Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker, proved too much for the Blues, inflicting a 3–1 defeat on City.

The following match at Maine Road saw City bounce back with a 1–0 win over Everton, and they followed it up with another victory, 2–1, against Aston Villa.

After the Aston Villa match, Richard hurriedly made his way to Maine Road to check on the condition of one of their players, Paul Lake, who had been injured. The doctor confirmed it was a cruciate ligament injury, which would unfortunately end Paul Lake's career.

As an ex-player who had been forced into retirement due to injury himself, Richard could truly sympathize with Lake and understand the emotional and physical toll such an injury could bring.

What made him happy, however, after Paul Lake's injury, was that Kendall decided to promote Chris Armstrong (21), Rob Jones (19), Graeme Le Saux (22), and Steve McManaman (18) to the City first squad.

And City's vacation in the English division started after this.

The Blues were then unbeaten in three away games, drawing 1-1 at Chelsea and Wimbledon and sandwiched in between a good 4-0 win at Torquay in the 1st leg of a Rumbelows Cup 2nd round tie.

The Blues couldn't stop winning at home beating Coventry 2-0 and securing 5th position in the league after 8 games.

A 0-0 draw at Maine Road with Torquay secured a route to the third round of the Rumbelows Cup and then The Blues made it ten games unbeaten drawing 1-1 at Derby.

Wins after win had City fans grinning from ear to ear, convinced that Kendall was the man they wanted in charge for years to come.

"HE IS THE RIGHT MAN~HE IS THE RIGHT MAN~" the Kippax crowd sang in unison, their voices filled with belief. But, to everyone's shock, just two weeks later, Kendall left the club and returned to Merseyside to manage Everton for a second time.

The entire situation left everyone dumbfounded. Before City even had a chance to search for a new manager, they were knocked out of the Rumbelows Cup at Maine Road, losing 2-1 to Arsenal. It was then that Kendall dropped the bombshell: he was leaving to go back to Goodison Park.

In front of the media, Kendall said, "Actually, my relationship with Everton has always felt like a marriage, while my time at City has just been an affair."

Even Richard, watching the interview in front of the television, was taken aback. "Holy shit!" he bluntly said. Did he fear the backlash?

Without Richard's intervention, City fired Kendall directly. Before leaving, Kendall attempted to lure Peter Reid to follow him, but Reid rejected him and chose to stay at City.

The gritty 34-year-old midfielder took charge of the team as caretaker manager for the next match, a home game against Leeds, which ended in a 3-2 loss for The Blues.

Reid was a popular choice among the players and fans to take over the role permanently, and he did so a week later in a player-manager role. However, his dual role soon made him realize the true challenge of managing while still playing.

As the pressure mounted, the chaos began to unfold during the winter transfer window.

Clive Allen handed in a transfer request, stating, "I have been told emphatically that there is no future for me at Maine Road... Peter Reid agrees that it is probably the best thing for my career... I must consider my future."

Allen had joined City just after their promotion to the First Division, and had scored 10 league goals in his first season. However, he only managed to score four goals in the current season. While not an awful tally, he was out of favor and spent more time on the bench.

Reid preferred to play Chris Armstrong as a forward, and it was no secret that Armstrong's agent was one of City's shareholders, which made Allen suspicious that something was being hidden. His sudden drop in favor raised many questions.

Peter Reid's luck ran out after Christmas. City's league form deserted them as they slipped to 10th in Division 1. He then rallied the troops, and City got back on track, beating Sheffield United 2-0 at Maine Road, Norwich 2-1 at Carrow Road, and then a 3-0 win at home to Luton, which boosted the City fans.

However, their momentum was disrupted when they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Notts County, lost to Leeds in the Zenith Cup, and then lost to QPR in the league.

The Blues then lost 3-0 at Maine Road to title-chasing Liverpool and drew 1-1 against Wimbledon, also at Maine Road, leaving them in 8th place.

City then drew 3-3 at Maine Road against Southampton and won 3-1 at Crystal Palace to move up to 6th place.

Two more wins followed: 3-1 at home to Nottingham Forest and 2-1 at Leeds. City then drew 2-2 against Arsenal at Highbury, before beating Derby 2-1 at Maine Road and Aston Villa 5-1 at Villa Park.

After seven games unbeaten, a trip to Old Trafford ended in defeat as Manchester United won 1-0. However, it was a winning end to the season as City finished in a very creditable 5th position in the league.

In the league, Liverpool are defeated 2–1 by Nottingham Forest, handing the title to Arsenal, who secure a 3–1 victory over Manchester United. Alan Smith scores a hat-trick in the process.

Manchester United mark the return of English clubs to European competition with a 2–1 win over Barcelona in the European Cup Winners' Cup final in Rotterdam. Mark Hughes scores both goals for United.

Tottenham Hotspur claim their eighth FA Cup title, defeating Nottingham Forest 2–1 after extra time in the final. Unfortunately, Paul Gascoigne suffers a cruciate knee ligament injury, causing his proposed £8.5 million move to Lazio to be put on hold.

On 20 May 1991, the First Division campaign concludes with a 1–1 draw between Manchester United and Tottenham at Old Trafford.

Before the holiday season, another shockwave hit the football world: Diego Maradona was banned for fifteen months in Serie A after failing a drug test for cocaine.