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With Oriol Romeu having just rejoined Barcelona, GOAL runs through the most bizarre deals in football history

The transfer market is a wild and crazy place. It rarely fails to surprise. Time and time again, a player will enrage one club's supporters by joining their most hated rivals.

But we've arguably grown accustomed to such betrayals in an era in which money makes the football world go around. There's also a twisted logic to such transfers. At the end of the day, we're usually talking about top players moving between top clubs. It's not strange.

Sometimes, though, there are deals that seemingly come out of nowhere, involving players and clubs that are just downright bizarre. You know, the ones that leave you scratching your head and wondering, 'How on earth did that happen?!'

Here at GOAL, we'd argue that Oril Romeu's return to Barcelona after a bang-average career is one such transfer, but there are many, many more…

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  Bebe: Vitoria – Manchester United

  Bebe had only just joined Vitoria de Guimaraes from Estrela on a free transfer and had yet to even make a competitive appearance for the Primeira Liga club when Manchester United acquired the 20-year-old for approximately £7.2 million ($9.4m) in August 2010.

  It was a truly baffling deal, not least because Red Devils boss Alex Ferguson had never even seen the forward play, admitting that he sanctioned the signing solely on the advice of former assistant manager Carlos Queiroz.

  There was even a Portuguese police investigation into the transfer, after it emerged that Jorge Mendes, who became Bebe's agent just days before the move, pocketed Mendes 40 per cent (£2.9m/$3.8m) of the fee, though no charges were pressed against anyone involved.

  The only certainty surrounding a mysterious move was that Bebe was nowhere near good enough for United and he left Old Trafford in 2014 for Benfica, after three loan moves and just two Premier League appearances.

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  Kevin-Prince Boateng: Sassuolo – Barcelona

  Following the sale of Munir El Haddadi to Sevilla in January 2019, it was clear that Barcelona needed another attacker. It was also widely known that the Catalans didn't have much money to spend.

  In that context, it was hardly surprising that Barca decided to bring in a replacement on loan. What was shocking, though, was that they went for Kevin-Prince Boateng, with a view to a permanent transfer for €8m (£7m/$9m) in the summer.

  Then 31, the former AC Milan forward had been plying his trade at Sassuolo when he received the most unexpected of calls from Camp Nou.

  In fairness, Boateng had impressed as a 'false 9' during the first half of the 2018-19 campaign but nobody was in the least bit surprised when he returned to Italy at the end of the season, joining Fiorentina after failing to score once in just four outings for Barca.

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  Andy Carroll: Newcastle – Liverpool

  "I wasn't ready to leave," Andy Carroll has admitted. "It came as a shock. Newcastle was my club. I was 22. I could never get a grip at Liverpool."

  Indeed, Carroll didn't even know who his new team-mates would be, revealing that he had to Google Liverpool's squad on the helicopter ride down to Merseyside.

  Injuries consistently ruined the striker's hopes of striking up a real understanding with Luis Suarez and Co. but the unavoidable truth is that £35m proved a huge waste of money for Carroll, who hit just six Premier League goals in three years at Anfield.

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  Sol Campbell: Free agent – Notts County

  Sol Campbell learned the hard way that if something seems to good to be true, it probably is. The centre-back couldn't believe his luck when, in 2009, he was offered the most lucrative contract of his career (£40,000 per week) to join League Two side Notts County. 

  Director of Football Sven-Goran Eriksson had played a major role in convincing Campbell that the club's owners had sufficient funds to take the oldest club in football into the Premier League. 

  However, Campbell realised after one game that they didn't even have the money to pay his wages, so he departed, with early reports claiming that he was not in good enough shape to play for County.

  In truth, though, the former England international was disgusted with himself, later revealing that he had been "a mug" to have believed everything he had been told by Eriksson, executive chairman Peter Trembling and Munto Finance, a Middle Eastern consortium owned by Qadbak Investments, had told him.

The Lionesses were far from their best in Brisbane against Haiti, so what can Sarina Wiegman alter before a tough test against Denmark?

When England opened their Women's World Cup campaign against Haiti on Saturday, many expected the European champions to have too much for the debutantes to handle. Forty-nine places separate the pair in the FIFA world rankings, after all. However, it certainly didn't look like that on the night, with the Lionesses needing a big save from Mary Earps late on to secure a 1-0 win.

It was a sloppy opening performance from the Lionesses, there's no doubt about that. Several players were far from their best as a Georgia Stanway penalty proved to be the difference in Brisbane. That said, the likes of Australia and the United States women's national team are other contenders for the title that haven't come out in top form from the off.

It's not a huge concern for head coach Sarina Wiegman, but she will certainly want to see improvements, especially with Denmark up next, the Euro 2017 finalists expected to be the Lionesses' biggest challengers for top spot in Group D.

So, what could the coach change for that second match? And what can the players improve on themselves? GOAL takes a look…

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  Increase Greenwood's influence

  Ever since Leah Williamson's ACL injury in April, it has been anticipated that Alex Greenwood would partner Millie Bright in the heart of England's defence. However, after playing at left-back in the send-off friendly against Portugal, the Manchester City star was there again on Saturday as Jess Carter lined up alongside Bright instead.

  Carter was one of the Lionesses' best performers on Saturday, with her proving to be a reliable presence while Bright shook off some serious rust. Greenwood, meanwhile, had more touches of the ball than any other player on the pitch, but her influence in possession was limited by the fact she was playing on the left.

  For her club, Manchester City, she is almost like a conductor with the ball at centre-back, spraying passes out wide with that wand of a left foot while also playing a key role in the short-passing game and occasionally driving into midfield, all to help start attacks.

  Greenwood put in a few decent crosses from the left against Haiti, but one can't help feel that her influence on the game is limited in the role she's currently playing. It's unlikely that she'll swap with Carter at this point, but England would certainly be better off if Wiegman could make some tweaks that increase her impact.

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  Free up Walsh

  Also unable to have a greater influence on England's play on Saturday was Keira Walsh, the Barcelona star completely marked out of the encounter by Haiti's smart game plan. She got into things a little bit more in the second half as the opponents tired, but still only had the sixth-most touches of any player, which is quite low for the Lionesses' holding midfielder.

  It's nothing particularly new to team or player, though. Wiegman even noted after the match: "We’ve seen it all the time, they try to take her out. We couldn’t find her all the time."

  So, what could be done to address this? The coach talked about how the team could've been "quicker" in exploiting "opportunities on the side" while Walsh was swarmed by Haiti shirts, for one, but whether someone from central defence can step into midfield or the trio in the middle can rotate more to get Walsh free, Wiegman and co. will need to figure out some way to counter this plan because more and more opponents are going to do it.

• Address the lack of presence in the No.10 role

  Another problem in midfield was in the No.10 role. Ella Toone has struggled to really make her presence known in this position since coming into the starting XI and that was the case again on Saturday, with very few of her involvements in the match coming in those spaces on the edge of the box, in front of the Haiti defence.

  When Lauren James got ready to come on in the second half, one thought it might have been to replace the Manchester United midfielder given James had performed very well in the attacking midfield position against Portugal earlier this month. However, it was winger Lauren Hemp instead who made way. The only other change made by Wiegman was to swap Alessia Russo for Rachel Daly, with all of the Lionesses' midfield options from the bench staying in the dugout.

  Denmark are going to be another tough team to break down on Friday – as are fellow Group D opponents China, judging by the pair's close encounter later on Saturday – so having someone higher up in midfield who can unlock these sides is going to be important, whether that's encouraging Toone to pick up those pockets more or making a change to the line up.

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  Put chances away!

  It's easier said than done but England simply have to be more clinical. A large number of chances came and went on Saturday, with Russo, Hemp, Daly and Chloe Kelly all guilty of not working the goalkeeper hard enough at times. The Lionesses have only scored once from open play since February.

  "We’re missing ruthlessness," Wiegman said. "It’s easy to say, but what does that mean? Sometimes [it's] the connection with the cross, the timing of the cross, where the cross ends in the box and the connection in front of the goal. We were very close a couple of times to scoring. The defence was tough. We’ll keep trying and working on it and start tomorrow again."

  Many were calling for Daly to start ahead of Russo for this game, and there's no doubt there will be even more of that noise now – but everyone knows that Wiegman isn't one to ring the changes. Whoever starts against Denmark needs to bring their shooting boots because it seems chances could be at more of a premium in that match.

If Leeds conclude any transfer business this month it would be somewhat surprising.

After the sagas surrounding both Daniel James and Jean-Kevin Augustin in recent years, it’s a feared time for both Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they shouldn’t get the cheque book out.

What’s the word?

Leeds have been linked with a number of players in recent days from PSG star Julian Draxler to promising Toulouse midfielder Kouadio Kone.

Adding bodies in that part of the pitch is clearly a priority if you believe reports. The Whites, of course, failed to sign Michael Cuisance in the summer after he failed a medical so perhaps Orta is looking for cover in that third of the pitch once again.

One target that’s emerged on the Whites’ radar is one of the stars of the Championship; Michael Olise.

The Reading attacking midfielder has an £8m release clause in his contract and according to The Sun, Leeds are one of the sides who could look to trigger it.

Unfortunately, they face competition with Crystal Palace now said to be leading the race to sign him this year.

Hernandez heir

This would be an exceptional piece of business from Orta if he can pull it off. To sign one of the most impressive young talents in the Championship for just £8m would be an almighty coup and he simply needs to get it done.

Draxler might be the more eye-catching transfer in January but considering his wages of £119k-a-week, he’d set the club back significantly.

Thus, Olise offers a cut-price option and someone that can allow them to build for the future. With Pablo Hernandez’s contract expiring at the end of the campaign, the Leeds target has the chance to be his perfect successor. His football brain is immense and he has the ability to pick passes that very few players at Championship level can achieve.

Speaking to The Athletic about the 19-year-old, former Reading manager Jose Gomes said: “Michael is really special. He can see, even before receiving the ball, more options than regular players. His technical ability and speed, decision capacity is really, really good.”

He is a lot younger than Hernandez but the ability to make quick decisions on the field is something that’s made the Leeds playmaker such a standout individual.

The Spaniard produced nine assists last season and Olise is well on his way to achieving a similar number. He’s already got eight this term and has scored a further four goals.

Olise is as dynamic as they come and would be perfect for Leeds’ high tempo style of football. Orta must sign him.

AND in other news, Leeds eye swoop for £16k-p/w flop, Orta could repeat their Jean-Kevin Augustin howler…

Bundesliga expert Daniel Pinder has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he cannot see Wout Weghorst leaving Wolfsburg for Tottenham this summer.

The 6 ft 6 Dutch striker has been linked with a move to the north London club amid a stunning campaign.

Weghorst has managed to reach the 20-goal mark in the Bundesliga this season, showing that he could perhaps be a reliable alternative to Harry Kane if the England captain remains at Spurs.

Pinder, however, believes Kane’s presence at Tottenham is actually likely to detract the 28-year-old from wanting to join the club.

On Weghorst, who is currently valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, the editor-in-chief at Get German Football News told FFC:

“I think he’d only consider it if Kane leaves. Wolfsburg are third in the Bundesliga, so the chance of them getting Champions League football next season is extremely high. So unless the offer’s right, the team’s right, I don’t really think he has that desire to leave Wolfsburg.”

Loanee Carlos Vinicius is the other striker currently in Tottenham’s squad, but recent reports suggest that the Premier League outfit do not want to activate the £36m option-to-buy fee they have in place with Benfica.

It means Spurs will likely need to sign a new No.9 whether Kane stays or not.

In a recent interview, Frank McAvennie discussed the future of Glasgow Rangers central-midfielder, Glen Kamara, amid reports of interest in a move for the Gers man this summer.

Since joining Rangers from Dundee in what was a £50,000 deal back in January of 2019, Kamara has gone on to prove himself as something of an inspired piece of business for the Ibrox club, with the 25-year-old so far making 100 appearances for Gers, chipping in with four goals and providing five assists along the way.

This season, the Finland international has been a crucial part of Steven Gerrard’s title-winning side, featuring in all but five of the club’s top-flight fixtures, with his performances reportedly catching the eye of clubs such as Arsenal, Leeds United, Everton, Southampton, Monaco, Lille and Borussia Dortmund, all of whom are thought to be considering a move for the defensive midfielder this summer.

However, speaking recently to Football Insider, Frank McAvennie stated his belief that, despite impressing for Gers this season, Kamara may struggle in a Premier League side.

He said: “He was a great bit of business from Rangers. Kamara’s worked wonders but I think he’ll struggle to make it in a Premier League team, especially at Leeds where they play great football, I’m not sure. That’s a pretty big ask.

“Kamara’s done really well this year, I think he’s a really good player. What I’ve seen of him this year he’s done really well. But if he moves to the Premier League, good luck to him.”

Transfer Tavern Take

With Gerrard stating back in 2019 that Kamara had been “outstanding” for Rangers since his move to Ibrox, an opinion that would not appear to have changed considering how often the manager selects the 25-year-old, it would seem highly unlikely that the 40-year-old would be willing to part with the midfielder this summer – something that is evident in Gers’ reported £10 million asking price.

However, if Kamara does go on to make a switch to the Premier League this summer, considering how important the midfielder has become for Gers, we would not bet against him having a similar impact within a new side, despite McAvennie’s reservations.

In other news: Sources lift lid on ‘strong interest’ in Gerrard; chief executive has link with the Gers boss – find out more here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Marlon Harewood, who made 164 appearances for West Ham, has backed Said Benrahma to have a big role to play for David Moyes during the business end of the season.

Benrahma initially joined on loan last summer from Brentford, however his move was made permanent in January so that West Ham could bring in Jesse Lingard on loan from Manchester United.

The Algerian joined the club despite there being concerns during his medical, and has failed to make a significant impact this season as well as seeing starts hard to come by in the Premier League, such has been the form of Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio and Lingard.

Speaking on how he expects Benrahma to still have a big role to play this season and how Moyes has handled him perfectly, Harewood told FFC:

“I see him being massive for them from now until the end of the season because they’re going to need him.

“I think the way Moyes has handled him has been spot on because when there have been times for him to come on, he’s done so.”

The £23,000 per week winger may be hoping for some more minutes now that Michail Antonio is out injured until likely the end of the season.

Moyes will have to utilise his entire squad in the coming weeks with Declan Rice, Antonio and Aaron Cresswell all requiring time on the sidelines at the minute.

Many Manchester United fans have been left to fume at some early team news before their UEFA Europa League tie away at Granada.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed that Marcus Rashford is travelling with the squad.

This has caused outrage among several members of the Old Trafford faithful as they feel that the England international needs to be rested, given that he has only missed two games in total over all competitions across the 2020/21 term so far (Transfermarkt).

The Red Devils should be strong favourites against the La Liga club to go through into the semi-final stage of the competition, and they may be able to do that without having the need to play Rashford.

Manchester United fans on Rashford news

These MUFC supporters slammed the news that Rashford is going to be travelling with the squad on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that it is ‘disgraceful’:

“This is actually disgraceful he’s honestly going to ruin him”

Credit: @UTDdriz1

“He is going to kill him”

Credit: @selamdizi

“What do I have to do? Tell me what I have to do for you lot to rest him? Just name it and I’ll do it”

Credit: @Farnaz936

“If he can’t play 90 minutes he shouldn’t be there…he should be resting …it’s also insulting the rest of the forward line suggesting that a half fit Rashford is better than them”

Credit: @LoucasAndreou2

“He is gonna be finished by 27 because of injuries. Poor management yet again”

Credit: @Herbert1521

“I swear if this clown doesn’t bench Rashford to rest…..”

Credit: @Maticism

In other news, find out what Edinson Cavani update has left fans fuming here!

Rangers are reportedly considering a summer move for IF Elfsborg centre-back Joseph Okumu as they eye up potential replacements for Filip Helander in Steven Gerrard’s squad, with the Swedish international having been linked with a move away from Ibrox in recent weeks.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Light Blues have made preliminary enquiries for the 23-year-old defender, as they prepare for the possibility of both Helander and Edmundson leaving this summer.

Helander has played a key role in Rangers’ title success this season and has earned admirers from the Premier League as a result, with both Leicester City and Aston Villa said to be keen on the former Bologna man.

Would he be a good signing?

After spending time in his home country Kenya, Okumu has had spells in South Africa and the USA before finding his feet in Sweden with Elfsborg.

Since then, he has made 34 appearances for the Allsvenskan side, in which he has contributed no goals and one assist.

The Kenyan international clearly had an impressive impact last season, as Elfsborg lost just two league games when he featured, which helped them to a second-place finish in the 2020 league table.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

When Okumu made the move to South Africa earlier in his career, a source at the club praised Okumu as one of the best signings the club made that year and praised the defender, saying:

“He spent few days with us training with us and did well to impress the coach. He is a young, talented boy destined for a great future in football.”

The 23-year-old could help realise that potential should he make the move to Rangers in the summer, although with the report suggesting that there has already been a £2 million bid for the youngster, it seems that he won’t come cheap this summer.

[freshpress-quiz id=“588789″]

However, the 6 foot 3 defender could well prove to be an excellent replacement for Filip Helander, so Ross Wilson and Gerrard should definitely look at bringing him to Ibrox ahead of next season.

And, in other news… Rangers could make huge summer profit on gem dubbed “the steal of the century”

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 193 Premier League appearances during his career, believes the one difference between Newcastle United under Steve Bruce and Rafa Benitez is the Spaniard had Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez.

Rondon spent the one season on-loan at Newcastle but did strike up a great partnership with Perez – between them they netted 23 goals during the 2018/19 season.

The Magpies now have Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron to get the goals, however, with the trio out injured it’s become a struggle for Bruce to find an adequate replacement.

Bruce brought in Wilson last summer who currently has 10 goals making him the club’s top scorer this season, but Howey claims despite poor performances, the fact Benitez had two strikers helped him get results.

Speaking on the situation in front of goal for Newcastle and how Benitez could call upon Perez and Rondon during his time on Tyneside, Howey exclusively told FFC:

“Everybody talks about Rafa and rightly so because he did a great job, but at times the team was awful and they did have awful performances.

“He had two strikers in Perez and Rondon. Obviously, we brought in Wilson which was massive and I was really pleased with him as I’ve always liked him.

“I’m not being disrespectful to Gayle or Carroll but, where are the goals going to come from?”

Wilson has become someone Bruce relies on heavily since he signed the former Bournemouth striker for £20 million last summer.

Newcastle are fighting to stay in the Premier League as they sit just one point and two places above the relegation zone so, Bruce will be hoping his talisman can return to action sooner rather than later.

With suggestions that Leeds United are after a new centre-half in the summer transfer window, Marcelo Bielsa may be better off thinking again, and looking to one of the club’s burgeoning academy prospects: Charlie Cresswell.

Reports in recent days and weeks have claimed that the Premier League side are interested in Torino centre-back Nicolas Nkoulou, whose contract with the Italian team is set to expire come the end of the season, thus allowing him to join on a free transfer.

But, rather than bringing in a soon-to-be 31-year-old, Leeds could in actual fact unearth their next Ben White, in Cresswell.

White was a huge presence for Leeds in their promotion-winning campaign last season, playing the full 90 minutes in every single game in the Championship.

In Cresswell, he appears to be tailor-made to step into those shoes given his style of play as a ball-playing centre-half.

Speaking about Cresswell earlier this season, Noel Whelan was glowing in his praise about the youngster, saying: “He is the future, he’s one for the future. At that centre-half position he’s got great attributes, he’s very calm on the ball, a great size to him, he’s quick, he can head, he can pass. He’s the modern-day, young centre-half.”

The 18-year-old is one of the rising stars of the Whites’ academy system, and only penned a new contract with the Elland Road side back in November, signing a new two-and-a-half year deal.

And, after the U23s beat Fulham 7-1 this term, Leeds Live hailed the centre-back in their post-match player ratings: “His security on the ball was convincing, even indulging in a Cruyff turn inside his own defensive third to evade danger in the second half.

“Perhaps the best action of his during the game was the frequent interceptions he made. Cresswell read the play excellently, seizing on forward passes as Fulham looked to break, turning the visitors’ attacks into countering opportunities for the Whites.”

That ability to read the game and make interceptions is somewhat reminiscent of White’s performances at Elland Road last season, who averaged 2.5 interceptions per game in the Championship.

So, rather than bringing in another centre-back into the ranks, Bielsa could be pleasantly surprised by promoting Cresswell into the fold. He’s got all the attributes that made White a big success at Elland Road, in terms of being the “modern-day, young centre-half” as Whelan says.

Now is just about being given an opportunity to shine at the highest level.

Meanwhile, Leeds could hire Bielsa’s dream successor in this 36 y/o…