While Alexander Isak may have dominated the transfer drama stakes, it was Christantus Uche’s failed move to Wolverhampton Wanderers and eventual arrival at Crystal Palace that provided the real entertainment.
[AS provide all the details](https://as.com/futbol/primera/uche-entre-la-grua-y-la-gloria-n/) on what went on behind the scenes with the midfielder this summer, and it’s a tale that could beat most daytime TV dramas.
They explain that after a move to Como in Italy didn’t happen, with his agents insisting he wanted the Premier League, Wolves arrived on the scene via Jorge Mendes.
The Portuguese super-agent ‘with tentacles across half of Europe’ activated his contacts and within hours had positioned Wolves as a serious candidate.
A fixed fee of €16m plus €4m in add-ons was put on the table and Getafe leapt at the opportunity to get money that they needed. Mendes would have also received a ‘juicy commission’ from the deal, as he tends to do with Wolves.
However, the contract offered at Molineux didn’t convince Uche or his agent. The salary fell far short of expectations, and his agent was left annoyed that the deal didn’t earn him the desired commission. He began to put up obstacles and eventually blocked the move to Wolves entirely.
Getafe President Ángel Torres then tried to maintain a strange balance in which he insisted negotiations were happening without closing any doors. There was also a bizarre situation in which he said he hadn’t met Uche’s agent, while said agent said the complete opposite.
It all became something of a car crash, and then a literal car crash, as Uche crashed his car into the club’s training facilities and required a tow truck to remove his vehicle. It was the image of a turbulent window for the club.
Wolves eventually disappeared from the scene and Crystal Palace then appeared at the death. They offered €22m, which convinced Getafe and the player’s entourage. Their contract proposal satisfied the player, and his agent regained a leading role in negotiations.
Everything quickly fell into place over a loan deal with an obligation to buy and Uche quickly flew to London, passed his medical and was officially presented as a Crystal Palace player, bringing an end to a dramatic summer for all involved.