Did you know
Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 3:29 am
This somehow passed under the radar from a personal viewpoint (but) at one time or another years back we came near to bringing Gabriel Batistuta to the club, in fact came close to becoming a Town player. Back in 1994 John Lyall monitored the player while at Fiorentina with a view to bringing him to East Anglia to play in the EPL. A pre-contract agreement was said to be in existence between the Italians and ourselves with a fee of around 3 million which would be enough to acquire the player.
Lyall incidentally was interested at the time in team player Oscar Ruggeri and while that didn't come to pass, the fact remains we brought in Mauricio Taricco at time of interest. (Paz of Uruguay was also brought in which adds credence to any doubt or rumor (and) that the manager was involved in dealings for players from South America)
Batistuta was back in '94 (after a moderately successful World Cup, scoring four) finding life in Italy something dull and viewed a go in the English Premier League. Was yet to become the big star he would be in later years and while many would see the idea of such a player at Portman Road outlandish to say the least, the fact is, that it were, within the realms of possibility. In other words, it's not to say it couldn't have occurred. (Claudio Cannigia featured for Dundee of all things)
Not only that, did some digging and it seems names like Ruud Gullit, Gascoigne and John Barnes were strongly linked to here at one time or another, long before they became the household names they were to become.
The Gullit transfer never got off the ground as then manager Bob Robson had an issue with the Dutchman's attitude - and / or he didn't fit in with Robson's idea of discipline - and Gascoigne was deemed too overweight to be deemed a suitable signing for the club. This story goes back to circa 1983 although not sure Gascoigne was even playing professionally then. Would have started out at Newcastle a year or two later but maybe then manager Bobby Ferguson had been alerted by scouts while seeing the player in a youth team capacity.
Not sure about Barnes, all I know is he was allegedly linked to us years back while when at Watford early in a career.
Real wish the Batistuta transfer had gone through. Wouldn't have saved the team from relegation in 1995, not with that defense, but imagine the possibilities. Could have kept Lyall in a job although maybe not, and a winner at Anfield. Nobody remembers the name Adam Tanner, but suppose Batistuta had scored the only goal that day. It would have been a legacy for the ages.
Lyall incidentally was interested at the time in team player Oscar Ruggeri and while that didn't come to pass, the fact remains we brought in Mauricio Taricco at time of interest. (Paz of Uruguay was also brought in which adds credence to any doubt or rumor (and) that the manager was involved in dealings for players from South America)
Batistuta was back in '94 (after a moderately successful World Cup, scoring four) finding life in Italy something dull and viewed a go in the English Premier League. Was yet to become the big star he would be in later years and while many would see the idea of such a player at Portman Road outlandish to say the least, the fact is, that it were, within the realms of possibility. In other words, it's not to say it couldn't have occurred. (Claudio Cannigia featured for Dundee of all things)
Not only that, did some digging and it seems names like Ruud Gullit, Gascoigne and John Barnes were strongly linked to here at one time or another, long before they became the household names they were to become.
The Gullit transfer never got off the ground as then manager Bob Robson had an issue with the Dutchman's attitude - and / or he didn't fit in with Robson's idea of discipline - and Gascoigne was deemed too overweight to be deemed a suitable signing for the club. This story goes back to circa 1983 although not sure Gascoigne was even playing professionally then. Would have started out at Newcastle a year or two later but maybe then manager Bobby Ferguson had been alerted by scouts while seeing the player in a youth team capacity.
Not sure about Barnes, all I know is he was allegedly linked to us years back while when at Watford early in a career.
Real wish the Batistuta transfer had gone through. Wouldn't have saved the team from relegation in 1995, not with that defense, but imagine the possibilities. Could have kept Lyall in a job although maybe not, and a winner at Anfield. Nobody remembers the name Adam Tanner, but suppose Batistuta had scored the only goal that day. It would have been a legacy for the ages.