BREAKING NEWS: ‘Brian Clough locked me in his office for three hours to try to seal Nottingham Forest transfer’
‘Brian Clough locked me in his office for three hours to try to seal Nottingham Forest transfer’
Former defender Martin Keown has recalled how Brian Clough once gave him a “massive grilling” as he tried to lure him to Nottingham Forest.
An Aston Villa player at the time after initially failing to breakthrough at Arsenal, Keown had more than one club keen on signing him in the summer of 1989. Everton eventually snapped him up, but not before the then 23-year-old centre-back had met with Clough.
As ever where the Reds’ greatest ever manager was concerned, it proved to be a memorable encounter. And Clough made it clear he was determined to get his man.
“I went to see him and he locked me in his office for three hours,” Keown told FourFourTwo. “He was the most charismatic manager I ever met. He gave my new wife some flowers and chocolates, and told me I wasn’t leaving until I’d signed.
“It was a massive grilling. He asked me how good I was. I said, pretty good. ‘Best attribute?’ he asked. ‘My pace,’ I said. ‘How quick are you, young man?’ ‘I reckon I’m as quick as Des Walker,’ I said, but he wasn’t having that. ‘Quicker than our Des? No one is ******* quicker than our ******* Des.”
Clough also had some words of advice for Keown as he weighed up various offers. Manchester United were also eyeing him at the time, but the Toffees were reportedly offering a bumper pay packet.
Even if it meant Forest missed out on their target, the Reds legend told his target to consider his family amid the finances being put forward by the Toffees. Keown went on to spend four years with Everton before re-joining Arsenal in 1993.
“Clough was as wise as he was brilliant,” the former England international added. “He suggested that I wait, go on my honeymoon and see if Everton were serious.
“I followed his advice and chose Goodison. Cloughie phoned and asked for those flowers and chocolates back.”
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