Revealed: How Ighalo dumped Tottenham at lunchtime to sign for Manchester United by evening – Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano

Revealed: How Ighalo dumped Tottenham at lunchtime to sign for Manchester United by evening – Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano

By Kayode Ogundare 

Odion Ighalo was on for 78 minutes in Manchester United’s 3-0 Carabao Cup win at Luton Town last Tuesday but it could all have been different for the Nigerian who was said yo actually fancied a move to Tottenham Hotspur last January before making a last minute switch to the Red Devils.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, in an exclusive interview with SportsBible.com, has revealed the high-wire intrigues which usually goes on during transfer negotiations which meant nothing is settled until it is finally done.

With this season’s transfer window set to close in less than two weeks, Romano was asked just how stressful the final day of the window usually is for someone in his position.

He said: “It’s more difficult when you cover worldwide transfer news I have to say. If you cover the transfer market in Italy, the last day isn’t exactly like it is in England. In Italy, the top clubs work before the deadline and it’s the mid-table clubs who go to do the last deals.

“The top clubs like Inter and Juventus are not buying any players on the last day, it’s not our mentality.

“So the deadline became crazier for me when I started to cover Premier League transfers and European football transfers in general.”

The 27-year old Italian journalist then went ahead to use Nigerian forward Ighalo has an illustration of his point.

“I remember last January we had the [Odion] Ighalo one. He was in Milano with his agent, at lunchtime he told me he was waiting for Tottenham and then it was a done deal with Manchester United,” he said.

Since the initial six-months deal in January, Ighalo has seen his loan contract extended till 2021. He’s played a total of 21 games and scored five goals for the Reds.