5 of the craziest transfer hijacks in football history

#4 Paul Gascoigne to Manchester United, hijacked by Tottenham Hotspur in 1988

The promise of a sunbed for his sister took Paul Gascoigne to Tottenham instead of Man Utd

If you thought transfer hijacks were only a thing in the modern, money-fuelled era of football, then think again. Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne’s purported transfer to Manchester United was hijacked by Tottenham Hotspur back in 1988 – a good four years before the Premier League era even began!

At the time Gascoigne had been starring for Newcastle United, and after a tremendous 1987/88 season that saw him named in the PFA Team of the Year, he was recognised as the hottest prospect in British football.

The summer of 1988 saw Gascoigne entertaining offers from Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool – all three amongst the biggest clubs in England.

With the potential move looking tight, United boss Alex Ferguson managed to pin Gazza down for a meeting, and when it was all said and done, the player had apparently – according to both parties – verbally agreed a move to Old Trafford. Ferguson then went on holiday to Malta, confident that when he returned, he’d have his man.

Unfortunately for Fergie he hadn’t taken into account exactly how much Spurs wanted Gascoigne. The player received a call from Tottenham’s brass asking what it would take for him to move to White Hart Lane instead, and when Gazza asked for a house for his family, a garage for his father and – bizarrely – a new sunbed for his sister, Spurs obliged.

And so Ferguson returned from his break to find that Gascoigne had made a £2.2m move to Tottenham instead of United. It would be one of Fergie’s all-time regrets, as he felt he could’ve maximised the potential of Gascoigne, who went on to largely self-destruct.