Man Utd lost transfer to Chelsea to leave Ferguson “angry and disappointed”

There are some things in football which feel self-evident. One of them is that, if you sign a player, announce the deal and present them holding the shirt, that means they will play for your club.

Another thing we know about football, however, is that there are always exceptions to the rules. Teams which get results playing the “wrong” way, players who thrive after being written off, and, yes, signings who get their big unveiling and then arrive somewhere else.

Back in 2005, Mikel John Obi was one of these bizarre cases. And we’re not talking a Didi Hamann situation, where the German midfielder left Bolton the same week he joined .

This one rumbled on much longer, and left plenty confused – not least fans of Manchester United, who had seen their club unveil the Nigerian midfielder only for him to then take his place in Chelsea ’s midfield.

Players who star at under-17 international tournaments don’t always convert that into senior success, but those who watched Mikel in Finland in 2003 seemed convinced. Nigeria failed to make it out of their group – a goal from future QPR star Ale Faurlin sent Argentina through at their expense – but the midfielder had made enough of an impression in three games to earn a move to Europe.

The tournament produced a number of players who went onto good or even great things. Cesc Fabregas was the joint-top scorer, just weeks before moving to Arsenal, while the likes of David Silva, Joao Moutinho and Fabregas’ one-time Arsenal teammate Alex Song would all go on to enjoy many years in the Premier League.

Others, like United States wonderkid Freddy Adu and Leicester and Finland’s Tomi Petrescu, would burn bright as youngsters before tailing off later in their careers. However, from the attention paid to Mikel in his teenage years, there was a confidence he’d fit into the former camp.

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The Nigerian’s first European stop was in Norway, with Lyn winning the race to sign him from Plateau United. In 2005, though, he was confirmed as a Man Utd player. Well, sort of.

Even at the time, United’s signature of the youngster came with an asterisk. Mikel himself publicly suggested he was made to sign for the Manchester club against his will, and had his eyes on a Chelsea switch.

It felt like a watershed moment in terms of power dynamics in English football. United was still the go-to destination for plenty of young talents – not least Wayne Rooney, who had moved there the previous year – but Chelsea were on course for their first Premier League title under Jose Mourinho and looked ready to be major players for years to come.

Lyn director Morgan Andersen shed light on the situation at the time, confirming contact with United. However, this too would be shown to be more complicated later on, as the fallout from the transfer emerged.

“They want Mikel after the New Year, as it is stipulated in the contract, but now he shall fulfil the season with us,” Andersen said. “We are happy for that.

“In any case, the fight is over on my part. I am prepared for a fair and honourable relationship.”

It was rare for a player to say no to Sir Alex Ferguson, both in that stage of the manager’s career and that stage of their own. Mikel, however, was an exception .

“I’ll never forget that second meeting with Sir Alex. I’d signed a deal at United but had to tell him: ‘Sorry, I want to play for Chelsea’,” the midfielder told The Sun in 2019.

“He really liked me but I could see how angry and disappointed he was. Fergie told me: ‘Why would you turn down United? It’s the biggest club in the world. You cannot do that. You have to say Yes’.”

It paints a picture of a conflicted youngster, with his situation made all the more confusing by the circus which surrounded the deal. United and Chelsea weren’t the only ones sniffing around, and he found himself dealing with agents as well as clubs as seemingly everyone tried to get involved.

“I had agents promising me everything,” he told The Sun. “One approached me in the hotel with a briefcase full of cash. I can’t remember what club he claimed to represent — but I do remember the briefcase.

“It was crammed with $70,000 (£53,000) and he offered me that to sign some contract before adding: ‘Sign here and you’ll get a lot more’.”

Back in 2005, though, Ferguson saw things differently. Perhaps his conversations with Mikel led him in a particular direction, or perhaps he was simply unused to the idea of a player turning down United in such circumstances, but the Scot was steadfast in his position.

“I don’t believe it’s true that Mikel doesn’t want to join Manchester United; I believe he has been forced to say it,” the manager insisted .

“His family have been put under huge pressure and the circumstances are very sad. The manner in which he and his family have been treated and pressurised is, quite frankly, disgusting.”

While Mikel’s unveiling at United was far from the end of the tale, it wasn’t even over when his Chelsea switch came about. Yes, he had a contract with the London club and would spend years playing for them, but things continued to rumble on in the background.

There were even calls for the Norwegian police to get involved , while controversy reigned over the Nigerian’s Lyn contract. He signed for the club on amateur terms before turning 17, and, as reported by the BBC at the time, his lawyers alleged a professional contract with the Oslo club had been forged.

In June 2006, Chelsea had confirmed they would pay £4m to Lyn and £12m to Man Utd as things remained messy. However, when Lyn director Andersen was convicted of fraud two years later, the Blues launched a High Court battle in a bid to recover the full £16m.

When Mikel completed his move to London, though, his only priority was playing. “It was difficult but I am very happy that everything is done now and I can play with my mind relaxed,” he said in 2006. “I am very happy to be here finally where I want to be.

“I got depressed. But you just need to move on because that’s football sometimes. I think it makes you strong.

“Mentally it made me strong and I learned a lot of things from that. How to trust people for instance.

“I’m very happy it’s all ended like this now so I can now play for the club of my dreams.”

While much of the saga played out away from the pitch, Mikel still had a career to continue, while United had a midfield hole to fill as their rivals added to a group already containing the likes of Michael Essien and Claude Makelele. Ferguson may well have moved for Michael Carrick in 2006 regardless, with the Tottenham midfielder a good fit for the Manchester club, but the arrival of two central midfielders rather than just one could have changed things – especially considering both men enjoyed a decade at their respective clubs.

The following summer could have looked very different, though: United added Owen Hargreaves and Anderson in the summer of 2007, with both central midfielders helping the Red Devils claim Champions League glory in their maiden seasons. Would this have happened had they already added Mikel to their ranks? Perhaps not.

What was clear, however, was that the times were already changing. United were still major players, but by this stage they were just one of many, forced to battle it out with other powerful rivals.

Ferguson might have lost the battle when it came to the Mikel John Obi saga. However, with five more Premier League titles going his way, he and United had plenty of fight left in them.