United boss explains inflated Fellaini fee.
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Manchester United manager David Moyes has responded to criticism that he may have over-paid for the signing of Marouane Fellaini from Everton this summer, the Daily Mirror reports.
The Belgian midfielder made the move to re-join his manager in swapping Goodison Park for Old Trafford this summer, completing a £27.5m transfer on deadline day.
Fellaini became United’s only major signing in a frustrating summer for the club, and though his performances for Everton last season make him a good candidate to improve the Premier League champions in midfield, it is thought that United were unwise not to move for him before August, when he would have been available for cheaper due to a release clause in his contract expiring.
However, Moyes has explained the delay in securing the signing of the 25-year-old, saying that he had hoped to sign him as part of a double raid on his old club, which would also see left-back Leighton Baines make the move to Old Trafford.
United saw bids rejected for the pair, which Everton even deemed ‘derisory and insulting’, and in the end it was only Fellaini who seemed within reach, leading to Moyes paying a slightly inflated fee for his new recruit.
“We had chosen to do it the way we did it because we wanted to try and get Leighton Baines,” he said.
“And we didn’t want to give up on Leighton Baines right up until the last minute.
“We felt the best way to do that was to keep the two deals together. Only at the last minute did we split the deals, so that was the way we chose to do it.”