Who Would Gary Sign For & The Role of Agents! | Sky Mobile: Transfer Window Special

0:00Welcome back to part two of the transfer window special brought to you by Sky Mobile. We're going to start this episode by looking back at some of the most memorable transfers. I always remember on the pitch on the last day of the season, Bex whispered to me, remember? Real Madrid. The one that sort of always stands out for me is Luis Suarez because it was a case of, how did we get him? You cannot hold that force back. That's a force. My contracts were all done within 48, 72 hours. Did I tell you you never asked for enough? Van Persie was... That hurt. That was a dagger. You talk about transfers at Manchester United, the most famous one, that changes the course of history.

0:37Can I not? Where are you then? Are you in the Uteam? Just coming, travelling with the squad because of the three foreigner rule in Europe and with them quite a lot in Europe, but then not so much in the actual league games at that time because obviously you could play the full squad, but just in and around. I mean, it was a... No one knew at the time the impact that it would have had, but it was a massive, massive... How quickly did you know? I don't know. All I know is that I still say to this day the biggest moment in Manchester United's modern history was winning the league that season because it was the moment that everything turned.

1:12And I always remember, you know, something. I don't name Cantona as being the player who I always like is one of the top three players. I don't even remember Best United, 11. But I remember in that first season we won the league when he was scoring the winning goals when he came back from the Kung Fu kick. I reckon in that season he's the most influential player I've ever seen in a season in winning the league. Probably Cristiano maybe in 2008. Is that the same year he scored in the finals? Yeah, in the cup final. Schmeichel was unbelievable, but that's the most influential outfield player performance I've ever seen in a team winning a league from United's point of view.

1:49Who else would you rank alongside him as a signing? I would say, because I think the manager said this to be fair, is because I think he's unbelievable. Dennis Irwin at like 700 grand from Oldham. Do those signings happen anymore? Andy Robertson is probably a similar type of signing in that sense. But Dennis Irwin for that level of money. Schmeichel for, I don't know what it was, it was less than a million. Half a million, I think Schmeichel. Solskjaer for peanuts. You're talking there, I think, in terms of value, aren't you, in terms of money. I'm thinking about it in terms of just generally the actual, for like basically the amount of money they cost to what they delivered.

2:26I mean, yeah. Yeah. Schmeichel's probably the best, I think, half a million quid. But then every big signing they made, usually, whether it was Rio, Rooney, Keane, Ince, they paid off, you know what I mean? Bruce, Palace. Why do you think that was? Why do you think they all seemed to work? Is that Manchester United? Is that the manager's influence? There was a philosophy, I think, of Bayern. He wanted to bring young players through and he wanted the best player in the Premier League. I think he thought the best player in the Premier League, the best British player in the Premier League, he had to buy.

3:01Manchester United had to buy that player. And I think that was why they always sort of pumped me up, whether it's Rooney, they broke transfer records for Keane, they broke transfer records for Rooney, tried to sign Shearer, tried to sign Gascoigne. So if you think about what he tried to do, he had a clear philosophy every single year, even Van Persie, even though he wasn't British. He tried to sign the best Premier League player, and more often than not, they were British back then, but obviously now they're foreign players. I think when we were at Liverpool, we always felt like we were probably a level below in terms of buying the actual best.

3:29It's the money, wasn't it? Yeah, the money. Usually winning leagues, we were like a top four team. So the one that sort of always stands out for me is Luis Suarez because it was a case of how did we get him? It's that feeling of how does everybody else miss this? For me, the best players we've had, certainly if I think about foreign players, I think of like sort of Sammy Hippie coming, Alonso, Torres, Luis Suarez I can name another ten they do it right away so what was this feeling when people say oh it takes a foreign player a year to settle that was never my experience at Liverpool because if someone came in and it took them a year to settle more often than not we had that though we had that at United with Vidic, Evra, Cristiano but is it a year?

4:09no but Vidic and Evra was probably 12 months it probably was 12 to 18 months Cristiano was obviously young but it's different it was a couple of years I'm trying to think of a couple more that it just took a little bit of time just to settle in a little bit. Yeah, but I think in Suarez, it's like... With Pep, Pep sometimes players, like Rodri, Mahrez, a few of them. He's players, I think, have taken... Yeah, I think you can definitely improve, don't get me wrong, but I think when someone comes in and you get into Christmas and you still haven't seen almost a sign of something, you're a bit like, oh, what have we got here?

4:38And my experience at Liverpool was that the best foreign players we ever had just came in and hit the ground running. Go to Suarez, I mean, you talk about influential players in terms of winning a league. Liverpool didn't win the league, but I think if Liverpool would have won the league that season when Suarez was the best player in the league, I think it probably would have surpassed what Cantona did, because Cantona was probably in a better team. Liverpool's team wasn't that great. What about Torres as well? The thing with Torres, I think, or what really helped Torres was playing with Steven Gerrard.

5:05And the reason I say that is Torres was a great player. But if you take that two or three-year spell at Liverpool out of his career, is career's not like off the scale but that two or three years spell with Stevie and listen for Spain as well he won the Euros he got the winning goal but Atletico Madrid I think United, Chelsea and Arsenal who were probably better than us at the time we looked at him and thought nah he's not quite good enough Torres played against us in 2003 in the Bernabeu for England against Spain and me and Rio were on the right hand side of the England defence and he made a run into the channel and we looked at each other and I always remember it what the fuck was that?

5:44Not often a player You both look at each other And you think that's unbelievable The speed of him I couldn't believe what happened to him When he left Liverpool to go to Did Liverpool know that was going to happen? Did Liverpool feel like he was on Well when we were playing That was a massive drop off that Yeah We were watching him every day in training He wasn't the same player physically or mentally So he dipped basically He started getting injuries Even in his second season at Liverpool But he's still done really well And then his third season at Liverpool Which I think Without being Rafa's last season He was not the same player and if you remember the World Cup final so they won the Euros in 2008 that was Torres at his best he was the number 9 scores the winning goal against Germany in 2010 he wasn't in the team and he came on subbing the World Cup final and pulled his arm string and I think even though Spain have won the World Cup I think that was a bit of a nightmare the whole world's watching he's come on he's getting this tag and I'll be an injury point bang he's on for like 10 or 15 minutes pulls his arm string Rafa then goes Roy Hodgson comes in and it was just he was just in a different head space then he wasn't great but what happened was when he'd signed his contract Liverpool put a release closing for like£50 million which was massive money then but he'd always scored against Chelsea and Chelsea were desperate for him the only good game he had that season was against Chelsea we beat Chelsea at home 2-0 under Roy Hodgson Torres scored too and that was like the deal was done so when we were getting the£50 million from Torres we were like wow they're not getting the Torres that we know I think we knew that at the time I was trying to think about there were a lot of shocks at United of transfers even from my first season when he sold Mark Hughes, Kocelskis, Ince.

7:16Ince was a massive... Ince was unbelievable for United. Like, unbelievable. He's one of those players who's not talked about enough for Ince, is he? But just, he was unbelievable for United. And then you think about Bex leaving or Yap leaving or Roy. There were some quite big shocks, you know what I mean, in terms of people leaving at the time where you thought, that's not... You know, you're just looking at things. That's because they're all massive players. They're a massive player. Leaving when they still had something to offer. But right, I want to ask you, when you talk about massive players, I think what's interesting with Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, he had a different way of doing it when he first came in, that he'd buy players that were cheap, under the radar, people hadn't heard too much about them, and you still had unbelievable success.

7:56Yeah, we did. Well, that was Patrick, wasn't it? When Patrick came. You're thinking Nicolas in Elker as well. Yeah, but Nicolas at 17. Yeah, but when you listen to what was going on in France and how he got him out of Paris Saint-Germain at 17, arguably one of the best out of that Clairefontaine academy. of me. You speak to people like Thierry and they always said, yeah, Nicholas is going to be the one. He was the one. To be honest, I'm not joking. Like I said, when he came, when he came, obviously I got injured the season when we won the league. He was 18 and he took over that season. The first training session we had with him, James, you knew.

8:32Like I say, you know, you cannot hold that force back. That's a force coming so you could see, wow, this guy's amazing. He's amazing. And even when I spoke to Arsene Wenger, we were just talking, riffing, and he said, what was the plan? What did you want to do? Because he didn't expect Nicolas to go like he did. Because remember, half a million he came for, he went for 23 and a half million to Real Madrid. And he really wanted Arsene Wenger was, Thierry was going to come after that, he's going to play him on that side, and Nelko's going to be in the middle, and that's what he would have done. You're right, it's why I say to this day, the best team I ever played against domestically was that 98 Arsenal team because Ray Parler was the same player in the like he was still playing in 2002-03 but the back four were better the keeper was better and Elker and Bergkamp in my mind were unbelievable over miles was definitely in my mind harder to play against than Perez even though Perez was an amazing player and the midfield two were better than the two Invincibles in terms of Manu Petit and Piera that team was unbelievable and Elka at that point I was thinking so he was like Ronaldo the Brazilian Ronaldo that's what Merson said the first when he played a reserve game with him he said he's the closest I've seen to the Brazilian R9 than anything else yeah I never said anything the pace of him and at Old Trafford I remember playing centre half against him in a game where we actually lost the league in that season I think Pallister was injured and we had a couple more injuries and he was it was breathtakingly quick and on your shoulder he was like oh my god what is that well when you talk about you just mentioned he was only there for a few years and then he moves on.

10:04I mean, what are the big ones that move on from Arsenal? Losing Thierry to go to Barcelona and then for him to win the Champions League when that team, what Thierry was the leader of, him and Patrick and that, didn't get to win that Champions League in 2006. When Thierry left and he went and then he won it with Barcelona was heartbreaking because if we're going to win it, we need him. When Van Persie... Van Persie's a big one. Van Persie was... That hurt, that didn't it? A real fucking dagger. That was a dagger. It was Nasri at the time. Nasri went to City. It was a bit of a bad one. A few players went to City, didn't they, at that time?

10:41We lost Cesc. Those kind of players, those were devastating blows. I think the biggest one was actually looking back now, Ashley Cole to Chelsea. Oh, God. When I look back now at the time, has he ever been forgiven by the Arsenal fans? They weren't forgiven because he went on to do everything what he wanted to do and win everything that he wanted to win. It was a big one, that. People think it's over X amount of monies. But the fact is, can you imagine, he's a youth team player. He's come through, he's in the first team. And he's done a deal, James, Gary. They've shaken hands on the deal, he's done.

11:14And you leave, and then you hear on the radio that he's just... You're going to say, what the fuck's going on? Yeah, I think Ash has got a story to tell that's different than the one that happened. Absolutely will be different. Do you think that's the case, especially with me and you as well, where I think that happens even today with local players? I always felt that when I was at Liverpool where you'd... It was a different deal to when the players were coming in because they knew you'd never leave. Transfer Window Special is brought to you by Sky Mobile. The network that lets you roll your data and keep it longer than anyone else.

11:49For more information, visit sky.com. Forward slash shop, forward slash mobile. Cara, do you know something I said for the first two, three years on television when I became a pundit. I don't know why players have an agent. And I've changed it, to be fair, the more obviously I got out of football, understand a bit more about club ownership and stuff. Because for my contract, I used to go and see the PFA, who have every single player's contract. Now, they're not allowed to disclose to each individual player's contract, but I would go to them and say, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, say they're the top teams in the country.

12:22What money, and my club, what money should I be earning to get to the levels of these types of players? Of their right backs. Of their right backs or their centre backs, if I thought that I was around that level. And I'm playing for England or whatever I'm doing at that time, and they would give me sort of like a range of money that I would go in and ask for, and I'd say, right, OK, I'll pick a figure in there. And I would go in with that evidence, and I would go in with a piece of paper and say, look, that's what the players at other clubs and in our club are earning, and that's what I think is fair.

12:47Is this with David Gill or Alex Ferguson? So this was with... Never with the boss. The boss never was in on my contract. Was it a lawyer or just on your own? I went in on my own a couple of times. I went in with my dad a couple of times. So it was Martin Edwards, the first one. Second one was with Peter Kenyon. And third and fourth will have been with David Gill. Did you ask for more than them? Because at the end of the day, you're playing for Man United, the best team. You're England's right back. I wasn't greedy. I was a case of, look, if that's where the sort of market is, Chelsea at the time was sort of playing Ferrara with quite a lot of money.

13:17Finan had got a big contract, I think, at Liverpool. Did he? At Liverpool at one point, yeah. Well, he did. No, he did. There were some outliers. But I always thought, well, what are United paying? and what are the other clubs paying? And there was a figure there that you thought, and do you know something? Other than Peter Kenyon kept me waiting for about a week, my contracts were all done within 48, 72 hours. Did I tell you you never asked for enough? Good point, actually. It's funny because you say that, Gail. No, no, no, you say that, Jane, but mine were always done very quickly. Very quickly.

13:45And it's something that I'm, you know, again with the agents, and I'll go with you, Gail, about the agents. I wish I just went with the PFA, went with a lawyer, because they were done too quick, especially when I was scoring at the rate of us. I want to send a message. every single football player in the country that's professional right now. You must have an agent. I've changed my mind. But go and sit in. When you get to over 27, 28, not when you're in your early 20s, you don't need to, but when you're over 26, 27, 28, you're coming towards the end of your career, you're going to have to start negotiating for yourself when you finish your career.

14:15You're going to have to go into businesses. You're going to have to start negotiating with players. You want them to go into that uncomfortable situation. Go into that uncomfortable situation and sit in there with your agent and literally watch what goes on and be part of the conversation. It's uncomfortable, but please do it because I tell you what you do it two or three times you'll start to get confident you'll start to get belief you'll start to be aware of what's happening you'll start to understand the game I just don't know why every player doesn't go in and sit there as an observer or the parent of the player goes in as an observer with maybe the actual agent so that you've got someone Are you worried about someone doing a deal and you're getting cut out or something or you're going to lose out I just think the transparency I just think for making sure you know what's going on I think for making sure you're learning I think there's a whole load of different reasons why football players in my opinion they're going to end up having to negotiate their own contracts when they leave their careers in different parts of their lives and different stuff why would you not just go and do it?

15:04I can't get it. OK, so when you talk about yourself going in for contract deals other players in the dressing room right, you've spoken about players leaving for Arsenal what were the big ones that you really felt not even just as a Manchester United player maybe even as a Manchester United fan? I think Yap was the biggest one at the time where I felt like it was questionable and the boss has said it's his biggest mistake and he's since in his book that was the one at the time when I look at that transfer and think he's the best centre-back in the world no one's beating him you know what I mean no one's beating Yapstam he was just a powerhouse you could literally me and Dennis could go forward or me and Phil whoever it was and you leave Yap at the back with anyone and he's a bit like Van Dijk in his peak two or three years ago where he's just taking the ball off you you can't get past him a player looks to run at Yapstam and they're just refusing it they're passing it that was the one that I felt wasn't quite right.

15:54I mean, obviously, I didn't want Bex to leave. I didn't want Roy to leave. Didn't want Incy to leave. Or, you know, players like... Because you were close to David Beckham, were you more involved in that situation than you would be in other ones? Were you almost speaking to the boss, trying to maybe help him sort of navigate away today? I did go into meetings with the boss and Bex a couple of times, and it was getting difficult because Bex was getting more confident, more belief. And, yeah, and I look back now and think, well done to him. You know what I mean? Because it's made him what he is today in the sense of he's been to Paris, he's been to Milan, he's been to LA, all these things he's done.

16:23It's because of his belief and his pursuit of what he wants to do. I never had that in me to say, I'll go and take on Sir Alex Ferguson, I'll go and push him, I'll go and poke him a little bit and see how much... I'd never do that, but I think at that time, it was becoming impossible for both, really, for Bex, because he'd been there since he was a kid, for the manager, because I obviously loved him and brought him up through there as a kid. And then I always remember on the pitch on the last day of the season, and he whispered to me, if you remember... Real Madrid? No, Barcelona had come in, hadn't they, as well?

16:52Yeah. But Barcelona came in, and the club wanted him to go to Barcelona, accepted a deal from Barcelona, but then he sort of went and... He signed Ronaldinho instead of... Because over there, the president that was Laporta, they come in as almost like a political leader, and so he's like, if you vote me in, I'll sign him. But I think Bex was always destined to go to Real Madrid, to go to AC Milan, to go... I think he always wanted to, you know, to experience different things, to go to America and do what he did and get that deal he did from Miami and you see Miami now with Messi if you don't leave United this today doesn't happen so you can't say it was wrong and I at the time was frustrated with him a little bit in the sense because we'd grown up since we were 14 at United and you think how can anyone want to leave you're a United fan you'd never want to leave the club I get that but in some ways you're envious of that experience Beckham's got because you've gone into sort of a bit of a bit of an entrepreneur hotels meeting people around the world there's something about that that you look at and you think I do admire the lads that speak like four different languages or three different languages or they've travelled different places, played in different countries.

17:54I do admire them. I don't think it ever changed me. I'd never change leaving. I would never. You'd never want to leave? No. I literally, I'm so proud to say that I played for Manchester United and that's it, full stop. And after my 30th birthday, I remember saying, I had two years left on my contract. If they hadn't have offered me a new contract after my 32nd birthday, which they did, to be fair to them, I would have retired. Yeah. I made that decision. I was only going to ever have Manchester United next to my name. Because I looked at other players that had left United at 32-33 and I'd never seen it go well.

18:26Because when you've experienced that, it's like, it's just... James, did you ever, ever want to play for anyone else? No, no. I was very much like that. I mean, I think me and you were pretty similar in that. I think the best players at Liverpool and United, or maybe Arsenal, your best two or three players have maybe always got a little eye on can I get a Madrid or a Barcelona? Yeah, we've done this to the Royalty. Yeah, of course. I was never that. So I always knew if I was going to leave Liverpool I was going to go down. The thing for me is exactly what you've just said. I used to love the fact that I was obsessed with AC Milan as a kid.

19:04I loved them. Yeah, that was my team. And that thing of like Beresi and Maldini you can't picture them in another kit. You know, you just always got red and black stripes and I always wanted that and it was funny when I first came through I'd say that openly a little bit you know to like other lads and it's oh you know I'd love to stay and people used to sort of laugh and take the piss out of it a little bit saying oh you want to be a lifer that's what you used to call it and it was always just a bit of banter and that but I do look back now and think there's probably well you obviously there was a few of you you had obviously Scolese, Giggsie and yourself but they could have left if you remember yeah yeah Giggsie I think into Milan was it came in for Giggsie and who came in for Scolese I think a couple came in for Scolese and at the time I think Giggsie they were thinking at the time around maybe should they sell but Scolese I don't think they were ever going to sell I think they would have you know what I mean but how many do you know how many players in United's history have done that because even Stevie Gerrard doesn't class as a one club no there's quite a few if you think about the Busby Bates if you think about obviously Sir Bobby who's the record appearance maker behind Giggsie I think the top five or six are all one club wow

20:10Transfer Window Special is brought to you by Sky Mobile the network that easily lets you make your day to plan bigger and smaller to suit you For more information visit sky.com forward slash shop forward slash mobile George Ubellingham Yes When you think right, you're at Birmingham and Manchester United come in for you I know it's not the Manchester United of Sir Alex Ferguson's era but they come in for you and Dortmund come in for you and you choose to go to Dortmund. Yeah, yeah. I think the top players... They navigate how to get where he's got. It's like... His management, his family. I think Haaland's the same.

20:47I think they know they're that good. They can choose the path. So Haaland doesn't go to a giant straightaway. Did he go to Salzburg? Did he go to Salzburg from Norway? Yeah, he went to... Red Bull, Salzburg. He was in Moldo, wasn't he, with Raleigh? Yeah, with Raleigh, yeah. Salzburg, Dortmund. Then he goes... Perfect. They map it out. But listen, let's get to the quickfire questions. Andrite, I'll start with you, Wrighty. Go on. If you had to pick one club to transfer to during your career, which club would it be and why? You know, it's a really tough one because when we were younger on our estate, David Roecast inspired us all to want to play for Arsenal.

21:20So to get there was amazing. But if you're saying I had to be forced, because my older brother was a massive Liverpool fan, my uncle was a massive United fan, and then I played against that United side. Liverpool came for you, didn't it? Yeah, yeah. But then there was murmurs of Liverpool with Kenny and there's murmurs after 90 with Man United. So just to have that link was always nice. But it's a tough one. It's a tough one. But playing against that United side and they've won so much, I was so jealous of them. I'd probably... You know something? I don't know. I don't want to go that way because...

21:56Just so you can score in Old Trafford, right? I did, but it was for England. It's a tough one. James, I can't answer our questions. He said United. say it no no no I couldn't tell you I actually am probably going to say it if it's in this country I mean or anywhere I'm going to say Arsenal because Arsenal were the club that I generally had massive respect for when I went to Highbury and used to walk in that old sort of entrance with the marble hall I used to think it's a club of proper tradition and I used to love the blazers that you used to wear and I used to think there was quite a resemblance and alignment with what United were at that time with the blazers and sort of quite traditional and I thought yeah so I'd say Arsenal I'm going to go for Tottenham.

22:34And the reason I say Tottenham is because when I was a kid, they were probably the first team I was really aware about besides Everton and Liverpool. Because my first season watching football was 1984-85 and Everton and Tottenham were going for the league. Was that Clive Allen? No, Clive Allen was 87. Was that Glenn Hoddle? Was it Glenn Hoddle? Glenn Hoddle, yeah. And I always remember this as a kid. And it wouldn't happen now because of phones and stuff. But as soon as the Everton game would finish, there was always a betting shop that you'd always sort of you know if I lose you're in the ground to your dad go to the betting shop I'll see you at the betting shop but I always I always remember running in and even as a kid I was only seven or eight it was half Tottenham got on that was the first thing in the back of my mind when we were going for the league with Tottenham right and we'd run out I think I liked Tottenham when I was younger actually but I sort of liked the waddle hoddle yeah I love the stadium and you know what I scored three goals for them OK, number two If you could pick any player who played in the same era to be transferred into your club who would that have been and why?

23:38Gary Shearer Wow Shearer, at the time because I maybe not what I thought now but what I thought at the time when he was playing with him for England 95, 6, 7 and what he was doing for Blackburn at that time I mean, he won Blackburn Rovers the league I couldn't believe we didn't get him twice because obviously once I'd spoken to him after the Euro 96 where I think me and Bex went to a concert with him Brian Adams that's what you used to do in the past was it? everything I'd talk about everything you've been talking about it was Brian Adams I phone the club I phone the club when we do the deal you say can cheer it up Brian Adams concert I sang everything I do I do for you Wow probably a Gascoigne oh yeah watching Gascoigne I remember playing against Gascoigne in 88 when he was at Newcastle and again in 90 then he went to Tottenham then obviously the 1990 World Cup, he was going on to be the best player for me.

24:30He's going to be the best player in the tournament. But playing with him and training with him, even before he got the injury, I didn't see anything like it. I always say that Bergkamp's the best player I've ever played with. But Gaza, Gaza was amazing. It'd definitely be Gaza. I would say Cristiano Ronaldo. And the reason I say that is because when he actually signed for United, I think we were in for him. That was with Gerard Huller and Phil Thompson. and Phil Thompson tells the story that he thought we had him. He was speaking to the agent and before you know it, breaks on Sky Sports News, Ronaldo's gone to United.

25:02And I think of what we lacked, probably in the best teams I played in at Liverpool, I think we had world-class or great players in every position over, say, a 10-year period. But I don't think we ever had a world-class wide player. Listen, we had the best in John Barnes, late 80s, but I think if you go through the 90s, I don't think we ever had a player of Daryl. Okay, if you were all at your peak and for sale in today's market, how much do you think you would be worth writing? I'd like to think that the goals that I was scoring and the rate and stuff, I'd like to think I'd be worth a couple of quid now.

25:38You know what I mean? Especially when you're looking at what they're making. 80 to 100? 80 to 100. Because when you went to Arsenal, how old were you? I was 28, though. So you're probably talking like that. Because even Tony, now, you're far better than even Tony, by the way. No, you are far better. And I love him, by the way. but what I'm saying is he's not being paid 60, 70 million for now because of his age you would probably be I think 70 to 90 million at 27, 28 if you're 24 by the way if you're 24 you're 100 you're over 100 you're well over 100 you're 100 million you're well over 100 the age might just pull it down a touch that's what I was thinking because when I was playing coming in as late as I did I always felt like I was up against time to try and even do stuff because you're always behind it you know What are you going for, guys, yourself?

26:25Me? I think, to be fair, I think there should be, and I say this at every level, there should be a ceiling on how much you pay for a right-back, unless they are something spectacular, a la Trent Alexander-Arnold, who sets up 10, 15 goals a season. I wouldn't pay more. I'd like to think you either bring a full-back through the ranks or you sign one for 30, 40 million max. Wow. I'd hate to think you're spending 70, 80 million or 60 million on a right-back. I'd pay that for Trent. Yeah, but that's a phenomenon. Why would you pay£60 million for a right-back or a left-back? Why would you do that? I mean, seriously, why would you do that?

26:59Centre-back? Yeah, maybe. They're a massive part of the game. I think they've definitely become more influential. But you can make a right-winger into a right-back. You can make a left-winger into a left-back. You can make a centre-room midfield players into right-backs. You can make now centre-backs that are more mobile and pass into right-backs. That's where the famous quote came from, didn't they? Yeah. My view would be, I think I'd be sort of£40 million,£45 million, because I think that I can play centre-back, play right-back. I wouldn't pay more than that for a right back anyway yeah I think what are you worth James?

27:26me? yeah I think about that at my best at my best between 05 to 09 you'd be probably 50-60 million car as a centre back now you'd be like a game now a centre back would be more yeah which player impressed you most in their first training session Gary? oh go on go rude I remember scoring a goal with a strike with his right foot and thinking oh it hits you straight away rude I mean to be fair I knew Rooney. When Rooney started with us, I just knew him straight away. Rude, for me, was the one that I didn't know that well, to be honest with you, playing in Holland. And he'd been injured, hadn't he, as well.

28:02And he came, and I just remember scoring a goal. I can still see it. And we're on the far pitch, actually. Not even on the first-team pitch. We're on the reserve-team pitch. And I thought, oh my God, what a player. To me, yeah, it was rude. Righty. Anelka, bro. When Anelka had that first training session in 17, again, I say, and I always say it, is that you know it's coming to an end for you. He was unbelievable, James. Pace, link-up play, left foot, right foot, movement. It was like, what the fuck am I seeing here? How does that feel for you? Well, the thing is, it's not something that I was...

28:34Because of the fact he was 17, the only problem it was going to be was how quickly he was going to continue to produce and be consistent, and we saw what he'd done, what he went on to do. So I wasn't worried about it in respect of, oh, my God, this is... I'm out next week. but I'm thinking this guy this is the one yeah I've got another one sorry go on I've just remembered the most shocked I've ever been at seeing a player first time was Ryan Giggs at 15 playing against Lily Shaw and you remember sometimes Lily Shaw would come and play games I was sub for United's under 15s against Lily Shaw he absolutely tore them to bits killed them I mean literally killed them I might have been a year younger or whatever I was on the bench he killed and I thought oh what the hell I've never seen anything like that.

29:20So it was Giggs, it was the one time I've ever been shocked in my life at a player. I thought, that's ridiculous. I'll go for Alonso, the first training session I remember. It's just, you know, straight away, you don't want someone, the way they pass them and the noise it makes. You don't want to bang a ball into something, you think, oh, straight away, you can just, you just knew. Can I just throw Scolese in just because? Scolese's the most impressive player, I think, when I was at England, obviously played with Gazzaner, but Scolese was, I just want to throw in skulls. It makes me like Jim Ryan used to say to me, the reserve team coach at United, he said, Gary, the boy cries when you pass it.

29:54No, the ball cries when you pass it. The ball cries when you pass it. He's just asking me all the time. You say, ooh. Right, if you could give one piece of advice for a younger player looking to join another club, what would it be? Probably say to them, you need to research, talk to people. Yeah. You know what I mean? Aware. Yeah. learn, listen, sit in on everything, ask questions. Yes. Why? How much are you getting? Yeah. How much are you getting out of it? How much am I getting out of it? How much is everyone else getting out of it? What's the club getting out of it? I would still say that what Gary's saying though, even with the football stuff because you know that they're interested in you because of what you're capable of doing from the football side of it, James.

30:34So what you want to know is the people you're going in with, what their ambitions are, you know what I mean, what do they want to do, you know what I mean, what the players are like. So yeah. You just want to know, you just want to know more. I went into, to be fair, thinking about the deal side of it, thinking transfer. But actually, if you think about it, of course, the football conversation is the most important thing. I used to think with Salford there were some red flags, to be fair, when we used to sign players. When a player used to come and sit down with you and you'd sit in a room with them.

30:59And sometimes you'd say, bring your wife with you, bring your partner with you. I remember once a player's wife asked the question, what days off do they get in the week? Wow. Oh, my God. And I thought, and then they said, well, what area should we live in? And they were moving two hours away. They said, well, could we travel up? Because our kids are in schools. When you ask that area and things like that, they're red flags then. Do you know what I mean? And I would say this to any player, actually. If you're not committed when you go into a meeting, you're not sure, don't go. This is why you want to do that groundwork before.

31:31Just ask questions of people. You can find out now. That's what I would say to them. Don't be afraid to ask the questions because you're talking about your livelihood, your future. Yeah. You know what I mean? Especially if you want to go somewhere, Jane, where they've got ambitions to win things. You know what I mean? you want to be going into the right place and it's going to be the right it's going to be right for you there's one point with um we solved and it was something that we learned from another club i can't remember it was that told us but it was when a player came in to sign for you you should be showing them clips of how your team plays and where they would be in that team and so you can they can tell that you've thought of it and you've imagined them being with you and sort of make them feel that you're a priority it's been a well thought out transfer i think that was a really good thing to actually do.

32:13The other thing I heard was that, I don't know if it's true or not, it might be like a sort of myth, but Klopp used to sit, I think it's clever if he did, he used to have to sit with the parents and the family of the player for at least an hour in the house before he signed them or meet them for an hour before he signed them to get to know them, to read the feeling. Yeah, he'd say that publicly, he'd never sign a player without meeting them. Yeah, I actually think that's so smart when I think about clubs and recruitment because he signed them on a video or he signed them on watching them but then after to meet with them, you get that vibe off people, that feeling whether they're actually ready for you or right with you, don't you, straight away?

32:48All agreed, mate. So thank you for joining us on this Transfer Window Special sponsored by SkyMobile.

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