Antony’s heart is set on Real Betis, the Spanish club are intent on bringing the Brazilian back, but could a £21.5m deal done 27 years ago be hindering the transfer?
It’s a saga that nobody saw coming when Man Utd were effectively hawking Antony to anyone who would take him, no strings attached, in January.
Real Betis did take him, and now they are regretting why they took him with no strings attached, as a cheap buy option negotiated at his lowest would have made their summer much easier.
As it stands, they want to buy Antony, but they can’t satisfy Man Utd’s asking price for him. But is that really all there is to it?
Denilson of Real Betis in action
Photo by Firo Foto/Getty Images
The world-record transfer that still stings at Real Betis
Once bitten, twice shy. That’s a quote that applies to Real Betis, and could be a big reason why they are driving a hard bargain for Antony.
To understand Manchester United’s perspective, imagine the club going for a 30-year-old player and giving him a five-year contract.
Man Utd fans will instantly be up in arms after seeing Casemiro’s struggles and the inability to shift him.
As such, it’s unlikely that the current regime ever repeats a deal of that kind, or offers the kind of wages that have ensured United’s window is at a standstill due to a lack of sales.
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Betis experienced that in 1998 when they broke the world record for transfer fee by spending £21.5 million to bring Brazilian international Denilson to the club.
Not only did Denilson score just 11 league goals in about 150 games, but he also suffered the ignominy of getting relegated the season after signing.
The world-record transfer since then has almost become ten times that fee, but, remarkably, that figure still remains the highest Betis have ever spent on a transfer.
They were stung brutally by how it panned out, which is where Antony enters the conversation.
Antony’s transfer is a victim of optics
For all the success Antony has enjoyed in Spain, it came when there were no expectations from him, so he played like a free bird.
With United’s asking price north of Betis’ club-record fee, it would be fair to question if he can replicate it when the pressure is ramped up, like it was at Old Trafford after the £85m move.
Clearly, £30m or so, which United are asking for Antony, is akin to that £85m for Betis, and then the optics come into play.
In 1998, Denilson was one of the most exciting players in world football. Could Betis be reticent about breaking that record for Antony? That, too, based on performances over less than six months?
The uneasiness at Betis about breaking their club record for Antony is understandable, albeit frustrating for Man Utd.
They are still suffering from the sting of an audacious deal they made 27 years ago.