'Be careful' - Johan Manzamni responds after snubbing £49m Newcastle United move
Newcastle United agreed a deal for Johan Manzambi but he opted to join Aston Villa instead.
Johan Manzambi has warned “be careful what you believe” after choosing Aston Villa over Newcastle United.
The Magpies agreed a £49million deal with Freiburg for the Swiss international, but were told by his camp to wait until after the World Cup before finalising the move.
Earlier in the summer, Newcastle agreed a fee with Osasuna for winger Victor Munoz and were left stunned when Liverpool gazumped them to the Spaniard.
It was very much de ja vu when Manzambi opted to join Villa, but, unlike Munoz, it didn’t come as any real surprise. Newcastle suspected the midfielder was keeping his options open.
Now back on international duty with Switzerland for their upcoming UEFA Nations League matches, Manzambi has spoken about his summer saga and revealed his delight at how things worked out, though he suggested not all the reports were true.
The 20-year-old missed the opening few weeks of the campaign due to a knee injury but marked his first Villa start with a goal in Saturday’s 3-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
“The plan worked out, I was happy with it,” Manzambi told 20mins. “There are always a lot of rumours when you transfer, but you have to be careful what you believe.”
Losing out on Manzambi was one of the final straws for Eddie Howe, who later stepped down as head coach and was replaced by Matthias Jaissle.
Newcastle bolstered their midfield with the signings of Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba and Nico Gonzalez, while the arrivals of Bazoumana Toure and Matias Fernandez-Pardo strengthened the attacking area.