Statement Signing

[Kever10]

Disagree about the Latchford signing.

Signing players like Big Bob was what was expected from EFC in those days and we were linked with every big name that was around then.

Ditto when we signed Lineker.

Signing Kanchelskis was IMO a bigger statement signing than those two as we had fallen off the totem by the mid nineties and I was genuinely shocked, though obviously delighted, that he signed for us at that time.

I also think the Schneiderlin signing was a big statement of intent in this new, post buy out era.

As indeed was the signing of Samuel Eto'o a few years ago, even if it did go tits up in the end

Negative statement?

I was really depressed when Mike Walker brought in anyone whom seemed surplus to requirements at Ibrox in the fall of '94.

Ian Durrant, Big Dunc and I think one other arrived and I thought "how far have we fallen....fetching in job lots of reserves from Scotland".

But to be fair to Mr. Walker, little did I realise that we were bringing in a guy whom would go on to become a club legend

It was just the 2, but Durrant was a good player as well. I really wanted us to sign him.

Amokachi felt like a massive signing after the world cup, and our 1st £3m signing if I recall.

He was paraded on pitch before our midweek home game vs Forest, in his snazzy Purple Suit, Danny boy played on the Tannoy, and he promised that he would do his famous dance when he scored.

Made his debut vs QPR the following Saturday, Scored, and Unsworth wrestled him to the floor before he could do his celebration.

He was a strange signing Amo. Extremely fast, powerful and did some great things but other times looked well out of his depth. He always tried though, and of course he goes down in folklore thanks to completely ignoring Royle and subbing himself on in the semi.

Great story

 

[MACCA75]

I genuinely can never see the point in people naming Westerveld or Baardsen as bad signings.

They were signed as stop gaps due to us having a GK crisis.

Bad signings are definitely like Mark Hughes, Straqualursi (even if he did have passion), Claus Thomsen.

I'd say Lukaku, Kanchelskis and to an extent Arteta were huge for us.

Certainly Lukaku got me excited most, so definitely that!

Totally this. Westerweld didn't even have a bad game, he was required as an emergency, same as Baardsen.

Beattie seemed a decent statement signing that didn't really work out.

 

[Barnfred 55]

Kanchelskis was the boldest signing we'd made in donkeys, taking one of Uniteds best players was a real coup.

Lukaku was the nearest we've come since imo.

Signing a grey haired and past it 36 year old Mark Hughes was a sign of where we were in 2000

We've made big signings over the years, but they were from a position of strength. Everton, with the backing of the Moores family, were generally looked upon as the "money bags" of football.

But for a statement signing, completely out of context with our position within the game at that point, has to be Kanchelskis. United were, whilst not utterly dominant, were very strong at the time, and Kanchelskis was considered one of their best players. It's probably akin to us signing Eden Hazard from Chelsea now.

 

[Papa Shango]

Totally this. Westerweld didn't even have a bad game, he was required as an emergency, same as Baardsen.

Beattie seemed a decent statement signing that didn't really work out.

Beattie was an awful signing just because he was the exact opposite of what type of player was needed for the role.

 

[Westend Blue]

Lukaku for me still couldn't believe he would sign for us after he did. One of the few times I've gone gee I wish we could sign that player and we did

 

[Jamo Martinez]

Getting Tony Cottee was a coup at the time.
Then watching him bang a hat trick in on debut.
Thought we would walk the league.

Yeah. I remember thiinking when we signed him Nevin and McCall that was a statement saying we're here to stay. Didn't go as planned but that's football for you.

 

[Kev50]

Lukaku in recent imes most certainly, and Kanchelskis as well.

Before that, I would say Tony Cottee. Breaking the British transfer record was and is always significant, and in those pre-Sky days, I remember that being deemed newsworthy enough to make the 9'Clock News, it being reported that we had beaten Arsenal to sign him. I remember being pleased in a sort of smug way, because we were as good as, if not better than, any of the big boys then. It was Everton acting in a way I expected them to, no more no less.

Negative statement, that's very hard to say. I don't think clubs sign players to make a negative statement, certainly not intentionally so. There have been some leftfield signings certainly, but that's not the same thing. A depressing period was when we were signing players like Bobby Williamson and John O'Kane, no disrespect to them but looking back at teamsheets in that period in the 90s we were lucky to stay up.

Christ lid what are you
Smokin?
It was the TEN oclock news, I remember Alastair Burnetts tone of patronising surprise like it was yesterday

 

[b-rad]

Lukaku is the biggest statement signing I can remember in recent years.

Gazza was a low point. More of Walter Smith's helping Gascoigne on a personal level than a step forward for the club.

 

[b-rad]

Kanchelskis for me. Was completely wowed as a youngster. Seeing it confirmed on Teletext. Wonderful times.

Loved that shirt, too.

 

[maccavennie]

Kanchelskis, Lineker

Gary Speed - one of the best players in the league when we got him from Leeds

yep Speed was a boss signing and definitely one if the ones I thought "that's a great signing to get him from Leeds"

 

[mahermi1]

Kanchelskis was the boldest signing we'd made in donkeys, taking one of Uniteds best players was a real coup.

Lukaku was the nearest we've come since imo.

Signing a grey haired and past it 36 year old Mark Hughes was a sign of where we were in 2000

Agree with most of that, but I'd swap Ginola for Hughes, Lineker was a helluva signing as well

 

[diggerdestroyer]

To use the term "going forward" to hang on to lukaku with a new contract and him actually staying would be the biggest statement signing in over 20 years.

 

[Sinski]

Disagree about the Latchford signing.

Signing players like Big Bob was what was expected from EFC in those days and we were linked with every big name that was around then.

Ditto when we signed Lineker.

Signing Kanchelskis was IMO a bigger statement signing than those two as we had fallen off the totem by the mid nineties and I was genuinely shocked, though obviously delighted, that he signed for us at that time.

I also think the Schneiderlin signing was a big statement of intent in this new, post buy out era.

As indeed was the signing of Samuel Eto'o a few years ago, even if it did go tits up in the end

Negative statement?

I was really depressed when Mike Walker brought in anyone whom seemed surplus to requirements at Ibrox in the fall of '94.

Ian Durrant, Big Dunc and I think one other arrived and I thought "how far have we fallen....fetching in job lots of reserves from Scotland".

But to be fair to Mr. Walker, little did I realise that we were bringing in a guy whom would go on to become a club legend

Were you thinking of Alec Cleland as the 3rd of the Scots.

 

[BLUES1]

Duncan McKenzie, Latchford, and Lineker for me were statement signings

 

[Ihaters]

As well as the obvious ones, I also thought Andy Johnson with his stupidly quick pace would push us forwards
Tbf... if he got even 10% of the legit penalties he should of had that year where we got our first and only penalty at the end of the season, it could of been a superb campaign.