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Jonathan White

Brazilian superstar in the making Malcom was a Roma player one minute and a Barcelona player the next as his tortuous transfer from French Ligue 1 side Bordeaux headed for yet another twist.
The end result is that the 22-year-old will play for the Spanish La Liga champions next season, but the club may have to pay more than they wanted if Roma’s threat of legal action comes to fruition.
This is not the only controversial or short-lived transfer in football, though, far from it.
Malcom’s in good company with some other players that changed their minds or had them changed after no time at all.

Dietmar Hamann
A Champions League winner with Liverpool, the German midfielder left Anfield in 2006 and had apparently agreed to move to fellow English Premier League side Bolton Wanderers.
That switch lasted less than a day before he was unveiled as a Manchester City player, a move that cost the Blues £400,000 (US$527,100) for a free transfer.
Then-Bolton chairman Phil Gartside admitted years later to Talksport radio that he had tricked City into coughing up the cash as he had never actually registered Hamann.
While the Trotters boss told porkies as City did not need to pay a sausage, the Ham-man played three seasons with the club before retiring at MK Dons.

Robert Jarni
One of the standout players of Croatia’s debut World Cup in 1998, the full back was signed by Coventry City of the English Premier League.
They turned their £2.5 million into £3.4 million in less than a week as he went off to Real Madrid much to the annoyance of former club Real Betis who did not want to deal with the Madrid giants.
Gordon Strachan being in league with the mighty Los Blancos seems almost as ridiculous as a World Cup star turning out for the Sky Blues. But Jarni could not break into the side at the Bernabeu and left for second tier Las Palmas a summer later.

Vitolo
The love triangle for the Mallorcan winger got Messi as Sevilla felt that the player had breached a contract extension in signing for Atletico Madrid.
Atleti also could not register new players because of a Fifa ban so they sent him on loan to his former club Las Palmas where he suffered an injury-hit start to the campaign before joining his new club in January.
Sevilla sued all parties involved and it remains unresolved. Vitolo will start his first full season.

John Obi Mikel
Pictured with a Manchester United shirt at an April 2005 press conference it appeared the Nigerian midfielder was leaving Norwegian side Lyn Oslo for Manchester.
Enter Chelsea and three months later the teenager was at Stamford Bridge. It cost the Blues £16 million in all – a quarter of which when to United for their trouble.
Mikel played almost 250 times for Chelsea, winning two league titles and the Champions League, before leaving the club to sign for Tianjin Teda in the Chinese Super League in 2017. The 31-year-old is their captain.

D avid Unsworth
The one-time England international wanted away from West Ham United and agreed, despite interest from former club Everton, to join Aston Villa.
After a couple of trips from his home on Merseyside to Birmingham he had a change of heart and told new boss John Gregory that he wanted to go to Everton after all.
He played zero games for Villa before leaving a month after joining, with Villa getting the same money they paid from Everton.
Unsworth managed nearly 200 more appearances for the Toffees before working his way down the leagues. Was most recently seen in the Everton dugout as caretaker boss last season.

Bebe
As if it was not strange enough that Manchester United had signed a player who had been homeless just a few years before, the transfer of Bebe took another turn when it was revealed that he had only just joined the club to which Alex Ferguson had paid £7 million.
Bebe had joined Vitoria Guimaraes from Estrela da Amadora for nothing five weeks before he signed for United.
Six goals in five pre-season appearances saw his value rocket but sadly his feet were not as impressive. Managed only a handful of appearances before even fewer at Benfica in a career characterised by loan spells. Played on loan at Rayo Vallecano from Eibar last season.
Rogvi Baldvinsson
The Faroese footballer lasted barely two weeks at Bristol Rovers in 2012 before he headed back to Norwegian side Algard, after revealing his return on Twitter in a now deleted tweet.
Then Rovers boss Mark McGhee told the BBC at the time: “We mutually agreed this wasn’t the right time for him.” Currently playing in Norway’s lower leagues and still tweeting.
Leroy Rosenior
The only manager on the list, Rosenior has the record for the shortest managerial stint in the game. He had been reappointed as Torquay United manager for barely 10 minutes before the club was sold and the new owners confirmed that they would be replacing him with their own man. Tough luck.

Benik Afobe
Signed this summer by former club Wolves, where he had thrived on loan since joining in January, the big striker was then bought by Stoke City less than a week later. He had originally left Wolves for Bournemouth in 2016 and rejoined the club for the same amount after they triggered a clause in his loan deal before Wolves made a tidy 2 million profit from Stoke.

Robinho
So sure were Chelsea of having signed the Brazilian that the club had reportedly started selling jerseys on the club site – a rumour that persists to this day about Alan Shearer joining Manchester United – but he was unveiled to the press at the newly cash rich club, even if there was some confusion as to exactly where he was: “Chelsea made a great proposal and I accepted,” he said, before correcting himself. Lasted a couple of seasons before criss-crossing the globe including a stint at Guangzhou Evergrande.

Aaron Ramsey
When Manchester United posted on their official site that they had agreed a fee for the signing of young Welsh prospect Aaron Ramsey all looked well but the deal never went through and Ramsey remains at Arsenal a decade on.
In 2016, the former Cardiff player revealed that he chose Arsenal over United, telling Sky Sports that he felt a little more wanted by Arsene Wenger.

Dimitar Berbatov
A case of a failed hijacking and perhaps a lesson having been learned by Alex Ferguson and the Old Trafford suits.
The Bulgarian was on his way to Old Trafford before Spurs accepted a bid from the other side of town. The United manager met him at the airport and made sure he got his man, despite City offering more money for the striker and having permission to talk to him.


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English Premier League

Malcom’s Barcelona move a muddle for Roma but ex-Bordeaux man not the first controversial transfer

Brazilian player Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira poses for the media upon his arrival at Barcelona. Photo: AP

Liverpool's Robbie Fowler, left, lashes out at Everton's David Unsworth, right, as the pair leave the field after being sent off in their FA Premier League match at Goodison Park in Liverpool Wednesday April 16, 1997. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Fowler will now be suspended for some of Liverpool's crucial English Premier League championship run-in matches. Everton's Gary Speed looks on at centre. (AP Photo/Dave Kendall) *UNITED KINGDOM OUT*

(FILES) Manchester City's Brazilian forward Robinho shouts during their English Premier League football match against Chelsea at The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, northwest England on September 13, 2008. Manchester City's Brazilian dream was rapidly taking on a nightmarish tinge on Tuesday January 20, 2009, as the collapse of the club's bid to sign Kaka was followed by confirmation that Robinho had walked out of a club training camp. City Chief Executive Garry Cook confirmed that the star striker had left City's base on the Spanish island of Tenerife although the club refused to comment on reports that he was headed for Brazil following a furious bust-up with manager Mark Hughes. AFP PHOTO/ADRIAN DENNIS/FILES Mobile and website use of domestic English football pictures are subject to obtaining a Photographic End User Licence from Football DataCo Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 207 864 9121 or e-mail accreditations@football-dataco.com - applies to Premier and Football League matches

Arsenal's Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Norwich City and Arsenal at Carrow Road in Norwich on May 11, 2014. AFP PHOTO/LINDSEY PARNABY - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.

Nigerian football player midfielder Jon Obi Mikel arrives to the waiting bus before a close training session at Waterfront Protea Hotel in Richards Bay, 160 km north of Durban on June 4, 2010 . AFP PHOTO / JAVIER SORIANO.

epa01474914 The new player of Manchester United, Bulgaria international Dimitar Berbatov poses with an outfit during his official press conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, 02 September 2008. Manchester United beat the transfer deadline to complete a 30.75 million pounds (37.7 million euros) deal for Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov on September 02 , 2008. Berbatov, 27, agreed a four-year contract with United and Tottenham confirmed the deal on their website 45 minutes after the transfer window shut. EPA/VASSIL DONEV

Manchester United's Tiago Correia better known by his nickname "Bebe," which means baby in Portuguese, talks to the media during a press conference with manager Alex Ferguson to unveil new signings Chris Smalling, Javier Hernandez and Bebe at the Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Tuesday Aug. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Tim Hales)

Britain Soccer Football - Manchester United v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League - Old Trafford - 4/3/17 Bournemouth's Benik Afobe in action with Manchester United's Michael Carrick Action Images via Reuters / Jason Cairnduff Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce, left, and new signing Dietmar Hamann, right, pose for photographers at the club's Carrington Training Ground, Manchester, England, Wednesday, July 12, 2006. (AP Photo / Dave Thompson) ** NO INTERNET/MOBILE USAGE WITHOUT FAPL LICENCE - SEE IPTC SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FIELD FOR DETAILS **

EL CROATA ROBERT JARNI,QUE AYER FICHO POR EL REAL MADRID,DURANTE EL ENTRENAMIENTO QUE REALIZO HOY EN LA CIUDAD DEPORTIVA JUNTO A SUS NUEVOS COMPAEROS.

epa05809489 Sevilla's midfielder Victor Machin 'Vitolo' (L) in action against Leicester's Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeiche during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Sevilla and Leicester City, at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Andalusia, Spain, 22 February 2017. EPA/JULIO MUNOZ

Barcelona transfer news: Malcom signs for €41 million fee as Roma consider legal action after agreeing deal with Bordeaux

New signing Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira poses in front of the FC Barcelona logo at their offices next to Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. Photo: Reuters

Brazilian soccer player Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira kisses the emblem on his shirt upon his arrival at the club's office at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Tuesday, July 24, 2018. Malcom has signed a five-year deal. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Sport

Football

As Roma threaten legal action against Bordeaux and Barcelona, the Post looks back at other ill-fated player deals


Spanish La Liga

Malcom’s Barcelona move a muddle for Roma but ex-Bordeaux man not the first controversial transfer

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As Roma threaten legal action against Bordeaux and Barcelona, the Post looks back at other ill-fated player deals

As Roma threaten legal action against Bordeaux and Barcelona, the Post looks back at other ill-fated player deals