It’s often said that football supporters only care about their side winning but, on some occasions, fan pressure has made clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United and PSG think twice about their new signings.
While many supporters can overlook their player’s personal shortcomings if they’re banging in the goals or winning trophies, some potential transfers are just a step too far.
And it works both ways; there have been instances where a player has decided to stay at a club following fan protests about their potential departure.
We’ve identified seven prospective transfers which were ended because of fan protests, ranging from world-class stars to the most unpopular footballers of their generation.
Marko Arnautovic
Manchester United’s desperation for a new striker in the summer of 2022 led them to Arnautovic and a £7million bid was rejected by Bologna.
While Arnautovic, formerly of Stoke and West Ham, was keen on a move to United, their fans were aghast at the prospect of the Austria international moving to Old Trafford.
Not only was Arnautovic getting on, but the 33-year-old had been involved in a string of racist incidents during his career leading to a number of supporters directly emailing chief executive Richard Arnold in protest.
The move even achieved the impossible and rendered Gary Neville speechless. “I don’t know, I have no comment,” Neville told Sky Sports when asked about United’s approach for Arnautovic.
“I’ve got a comment on everything in the world apart from Man United trying to sign Marko Arnautovic, I’ve got nothing to say.”
United quietly abandoned their pursuit of Arnautovic soon afterwards.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo has spent the last two decades pushing the boundaries of goalscoring to newfound limits but, when he expressed his desire to leave Manchester United in 2022, there wasn’t exactly a clamour for his signature.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel turned down the opportunity on having a premium gun-for-hire as his main forward, while Bayern Munich published two statements distancing themselves from the 37-year-old.
La Liga stalwarts Atletico Madrid were linked with Ronaldo, only for their supporters to come out in strong opposition against the signing of a player that had tormented them while playing for city rivals Real.
“In light of the possibility of signing Cristiano Ronaldo, if it is more than a simple rumour without any basis, we express our absolute rejection of his hypothetical joining of our…
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