Maradona and Carlos Fren

[Sothall_Blade]

The Maradona story is well known but I’ve never heard of Carlos Fren before.
Maybe if we’d just gone for Diego it would have made the deal more affordable?

When Diego Maradona Almost Signed For Sheffield United

In 1987, Maradona took Napoli to their first ever Serie A title just a year after he’d almost single-handedly won the World Cup in Mexico…

www.thesportsman.com

<< However, the trip was not in vain as the Blades boss came across a 17-year-old Maradona, who was not selected for the World Cup due to his age, and all but sealed a deal of around £200,000 to bring him back to Sheffield in what would have been the most audacious transfer in the history of the game.

“Diego was actually ready to go,” John Ludden, author of the best-selling book ‘Once Upon a Time in Naples,’ tells The Sportsman. “It was a real offer, around £400,000 in total for Maradona and another player called Carlos Fren, the air tickets were even booked.

“Then greed showed its head as agents and other figures demanded more money, with the transfer eventually collapsing. He was only 17, but already a genius. So you could say It was a huge opportunity missed.”

With the board vetoing the move due to the high cost, United instead turned their attention to the slightly more affordable Alex Sabella, bringing him to Bramall Lane from River Plate for £160,000 rather than Maradona, who eventually signed for Boca Juniors before moving to Barcelona for a record fee of £5 million following the 1982 World Cup. >>

 

[nopigfansintown]

My contribution from an old thread.
This is from a question and answer session Maradona gave in FourFourTwo magazine in the January 2011 edition, pages 58-9. (issue number 198). As far as I know this is the only time Maradona commented on the long held rumour, myth or old wives' tale.

Question: I couldn't believe it when I heard my team Sheffield United put in a bid for you while you were young, only for your club Argentinos Juniors to reject it. Did you know anything about this bid at the time? Jamie Hamilton (Blades fan)

Maradona's answer: Yes! Not only was it a real offer, it seemed that the transfer was about to happen - Carlos Fren and me. We were both going to travel: I think we even had our flights bought. I think you're not going to sleep well today, but I swear, we were really looking forward to it .But then, the transfer collapsed and we couldn't go.Sheffield and Arsenal, they both tried to sign me. It would have been a pleasure to play in England.

 

[Silent Blade]

A fee was agreed and our director Albert Bramall was making arrangements to transfer the fee to Argentinos Juniors but their president asked for a further fee so the deal collapsed

 

[Whiston Blade]

I heard it was a fax machine issue, anyone ITK?

 

[Sheffsteel]

I remember seeing the “Maradona” headline at the back of the Sheffield Star when I was a kid.
So it would be interesting to go to the Sheffield City Library Archives to find a copy of The Star newspapers from back in 1978.

My memory of it was that a deal had been verbally agreed between the clubs but not signed.
One of the directors or was the main director from the Argentinian club was on holiday and when he returned he disagreed with the deal
And pushed up the previously agreed price, so United backed out and went for Alex Sabella instead.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

As part of the deal, “Maradona and Carlos Fren” had been lined for the Tom Hark treatment too, a la Chrissy Wilder and Alan Knill. A missed opportunity.

 

[benn5712]

Maradona's answer: Yes! I think you're not going to sleep well today,

Has to be a witty reposte to this.
One of our more able forumists if you will please.

Only in S2

 

[BushBlade]

Has to be a witty reposte to this.
One of our more able forumists if you will please.

Only in S2

Mardonna’s answer ‘Yes, I think you’re not going to sleep well today’ as a young bespectacled journalist called Michael started to chop some lines up on a mirror.