Anthony Martial’s transfer to Manchester United, on deadline day, appeared to be a very late move by the Red Devils, which shocked the football world. However, it has come to light that they, and two other Premier League sides, had been chasing the 19 year old throughout the summer.
Arsenal enquired as to the possibility of signing Martial from A.S. Monaco, but the French Ligue 1 side said that he was not for sale, so Wenger ended his line of enquiries.
Early on deadline day, it was announced that Monaco had accepted a £36 million bid from Manchester United for their teenage striker. But prior to this, once Chelsea had learnt that United were bidding for the striker, the Blues also made a qualifying bid.
Anthony Martial knew of both of the offers but chose to join the Red Devils instead of Chelsea. He claims that the choice was thanks to Louis van Gaal’s personal touch during negotiations:
“Because, for me, they are amongst the five best clubs in the world.”
“And I know Van Gaal wanted me. That’s what motivated me to take a decision. It was very important to show the coach that he could trust me.”
“Van Gaal called me and spoke to my mother who did the translation. When I arrived in Manchester I met him, we discussed at length and it was done quickly.”
So it seems that despite the Manchester United manager insisting that he didn’t need a striker, he was actually very keen on secretly snapping up one of the top striking prospects in world football.
