Real Betis CEO opens up on their pursuit of Manchester United flop Antony
Manchester United had a lot of sagas with their outgoings in the recently concluded summer transfer window, and one of them was the move that took Antony to Real Betis.
Despite him finding his feet in the Spanish top tier last season, Ruben Amorim looked clear in his decision of not keeping him out at Carrington when the new season kicked off. But while the Brazilian had chances to make some headline transfers with the likes of Bayern Munich and Saudi Pro clubs vying for his signature, he was put in his decision to move to the Seville-based club.
Betis decision maker speaks on singing Antony
It was a negotiation process that was drawn out a bit too much. Almost so much so that at one point it looked like the move wouldn’t happen. But if recent words from Real Betis CEO Ramon Alarcon are to be believed, the loyalty was reciprocated from all parties to get the transfer over the line.
He spoke about how the move to sign Antony proved to be one of the most difficult transfers he has ever sanctioned. Ramon also highlighted the pressure that he faced from the fans to get this one over the line.
Speaking with ABC Sevilla, he said:
“It’s the most difficult signing I’ve made as CEO because there was a lot of pressure from all the Betis fans. It was taken for granted that he was coming”
Author Opinion
We saw how the 25-year-old struggled during his time at Old Trafford given the pressure to perform donning that Man Utd badge. But as soon as he donned that Betis badge last season, he was again playing with a smile on his face. And that also showed in the confidence he had on the pitch and how he was expressing himself.
And we don’t usually see players turning down big-money headline moves these days. But this is one of the rare caseswhere a player chose his happiness over moving to play in a high-pressure octane to get silverware or to a place where he will be paid quite heftily.
Hopefully his time at Real Betis gives him as much as it took for Ramon Alarcon to make it happen.
He is still young, and if he goes on to get his confidence back, he can still make a big move in the coming years.
What do you think about how the whole saga panned out? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.