HOW FERGIE GOT HIS MAN
It was the £1 million bargain transfer hatched between arch rivals, over a cup of tea in half an hour. In the new book charting Eric Cantona’s impact on English football, we trace the astonishing story of his move from Leeds to Manchester United
ERIC CANTONA’S move to Manchester United was instigated by a phone call from Leeds managing director Bill Fotherby.
The Frenchman’s relationship with Howard Wilkinson, his manager at Elland Road, had deteriorated but Cantona’s destination stunned football.
“I rang United about Denis Irwin, who had been at Leeds as a boy,” said Fotherby. “United chairman Martin Edwards said there was no chance but I asked him to at least speak to Alex [Ferguson].
“Normally I wouldn’t have expected him to ring back. This time he did, offering me a different player I knew Howard wouldn’t be interested in. It was then he asked about Eric. I said ‘No way’ and that it was impossible.
“Howard was out house-hunting. I left it a couple of hours, rang Martin and said, ‘I can’t believe this but Howard is willing to let the boy go’.” Edwards could not believe his luck. He said: “Bill was almost too honest for his own good. I called Alex and told him about Bill’s enquiry about Irwin. He said no, as I expected. And then I said, ‘Would you take Cantona if I could get him?’ Alex replied, ‘Too bloody right I would!’ Then Bill called to follow up about Irwin. I told him Alex wasn’t having that but we’d take Cantona off his hands, almost as if we were doing him a favour!
“Bill said, ‘We’re open to selling him but we have one problem. He’s very popular. The crowd love him. We’ll get slaughtered. Howard will do it but only if we do it very quickly’.”
Edwards: “What do you want for him?”
Fotherby: “£1.6m.” Edwards: “I won’t pay that. But we’ll take him off your hands for a million.”
Fotherby: “I can’t do a million. I told you I’d get slaughtered at that price. I can’t go any lower than £1.2m.” Edwards: “I’ll give you a million.” Fotherby: “Can I say it’s £1.2m?” Edwards: “Say what you like.” Ferguson could scarcely believe how straightforward it was, saying: “Eric came with Jean-Jacques Bertrand from the PFA in France.
“The chairman got his calculator out and said, ‘We’ll do that’. Eric and I were just having a cup of tea. And the chairman said, ‘Right, can we shake on that?’ Jean-Jacques said, ‘Yes!’ It must have been all done in half an hour.”