Newcastle star Kieran Trippier addresses how Manchester United move broke down last summer
Kieran Trippier has revealed the details surrounding the failed attempt from Manchester United to sign him from Atletico Madrid last summer. He has recently joined up with Newcastle United to try and help them in their attempt to survive the relegation battle this season.
Man United were in the market for a right-back last summer when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was still at the managerial helm. Diogo Dalot was not preferred by the Norwegian, while the first-choice option, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, has been found wanting at times in the attacking side of his game. They had contacted Atletico as a result to discuss a potential transfer for the 31-year-old.
Speaking in an interview with The Athletic (Subscription Required), Trippier explained that the Red Devils were one of the clubs keeping tabs on his situation at Wanda Metropolitano. He added that Atleti demanded the release clause to be paid, which is the reason why the Manchester club retracted their interest.
“After the Euros, there was really strong interest. We had conversations, but Atletico Madrid just wanted my release clause and it was a lot of money for a 30-year-old, so I understand why Man United didn’t do that. There were other clubs interested… Anyway, it’s gone now, so it doesn’t bother me.”
Missed opportunity?
The Englishman had a £50million release clause back then, which explains why we decided to backtrack on our attempt to sign him. While we could definitely have used a man of his quality in our squad, the transfer fees would have been ridiculous considering how he has now entered his thirties.
Dalot has impressed a lot under Ralf Rangnick, even if he can improve on the defensive side of things. And Wan-Bissaka is certainly not a bad player to have in your team, given his defensive acumen. Missing out on Trippier, when all things have now been said and done, isn’t that much of a blow in that regard.
A full-back needs to be physically fit considering the amount of work they have in modern football. One failed attacking run from them could see them sprinting down the length of the pitch in case of a counterattack in order to get back into position.
While Trippier hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, he will be 32 this year. It remains to be seen how long he can keep playing at the top level. As for us, we have found a decent option down the right flank in Dalot.
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The Magpies star could have been a good prospect for us had Diego Simeone’s side agreed to sell him for £12million plus add-ons to us, which the Toons paid to get his services. But there is no point dwelling over the past too much. More than anything, fans would be relieved that this transfer saga is finally over for good.
