Former Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer revealed a famously awkward phone call he had with Sir Alex Ferguson over a potential move to Manchester United. At the time, Dyer was at Newcastle and juggling interest from multiple clubs, including Juventus, Arsenal, Leeds, and West Ham.
He recounted on the Open Goal Podcast how he was in Ayia Napa with friends when his agent put him on speakerphone for a call with Ferguson and super-agent Pini Zahavi.
“I’m at the airport in New York with Titus [Bramble] coming back to England,” Dyer said.
“Then my agent goes, ‘You’re going to hear a few voices.’ First, Pini Zahavi spoke, then Sir Alex said, ‘Hi Kieron, I just want to ask you two questions. First, do you want to play for Manchester United?’ I said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’
Then he asked, ‘If Newcastle don’t accept the bid, will you cause a fuss?’ I said, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ And then he hung up.”
Despite being a standout at Newcastle—making the 2002-03 Premier League Team of the Year and playing in the Champions League—the move to United never materialized, leaving Dyer to reflect on the unusual experience of speaking with one of football’s biggest managers in front of friends.
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