We’re not quite done with Larry Kayode’s failed deadline day transfer to Amiens in Ligue 1, mostly because people keep talking about it.
The French side, who were desperately trying to add a striker to their squad this winter, had decided to save the Nigeria international from his Girona loan, where he’d failed to find the back of the net during the first half of the season.
A potential deal was first announced by RMC Sport back in mid-January, as a loan with a view to buy at the end of the season was being discussed between Manchester City and Amiens, and then everything about it disappeared for two weeks.
Then, when we’d completely forgotten about it, news reemerged Pep Guardiola’s side were still in talks with the Ligue 1 club for the 24-year-old’s transfer, and everything looked like it was well on its way to being completed.
However, come February 1st, it was revealed the deal collapsed at the last minute, with a ‘computing problem’ blamed for FIFA receiving the required documents a minute late.
That means Kayode has returned to Girona, where he will most likely finish the season on loan from Manchester City.
Speaking for the second time since the failed deal, Amiens’ president, Bernard Joannin, has now decided to take the blame.
Speaking to Courrier Picard, he said: “[Negotiations] are very complicated, except when your chequebook is out and you pay without talking. This was another discovery. We really learnt a lot, even if I ended the transfer window disappointed. When there’s an accident in life, it’s due to a number of things. The Kayode story is an accumulation of small details that needed to be sorted between Manchester City, Girona and ourselves.
“A 11pm, we’d finally reached a financial agreement with Manchester City, but the papers weren’t filled out the same way by Girona. Everything was recorded at 11.59pm, but FIFA received it at 12.01am.”
Asked why he left everything until the last minute when he had a month to sort it out, he said: “Mea culpa. I take the blame as president, but I’ve learnt something new once more.”
