You never know with transfers It was 49 years ago today
By Boris Mellor
July 26 2022
Peter Marinello departed Arsenal on 26 July 1973 for Portsmouth, 49 years ago today. Having failed to agree a new contract he had demanded a transfer, Bertie Mee decided not to stand in his way,
He signed in January 1970, Arsenal paid £100,000, a club record fee at the time. He scored on his debut against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 10 January 1970. He had completed a mazy 50 yard run before slipping the ball past Alex Stepney. Arsenal fans could be forgiven for believing that the messiah had arrived. Looking like a cross between a 5th Beatle and Georgie Best he briefly looked the business.
Yet with 51 games and 5 goals by the end of his career he turned out to be a worse buy than Pepe.He was at Arsenal during the seasons we won the Fairs Cup and then on to win the first ever double in 1971. I was a fan all that time I can't honestly remember a game he played in or a goal he scored. I dont say that with glee, I really don't remember, but football is ephemeral, only the great achievements stick in the mind, and worst of all the great failures. If he had succeeded he might have pushed Geordie Armstrong out which would probably have cost the team a lot more than it could ever have gained.
Perhaps being only 19 at the time of signing and being at a club like Arsenal overwhelmed him. Did his head get turned by advertising contracts or night clubbing and photos in the press?
He retired a wealthy man but his bad luck continued being declared bankrupt in 1994. He now runs an Amateur Football club in Bournemouth.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:07:31:09:05:02 by Padre Pio.
Often wondered what happened to him!
"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.
Patrick William “Willie” Groves - first £100 footballer (Aston Villa Park 1893)
Peter Marinello - first £100k footballer (Arsenal 1970)
Trevor Francis - first £1m footballer (Nottingham Forest 1979)
Jean-Pierre Papin - first £10m footballer (AC Milan 1992)
Paul Pogba - first £100m footballer (Manchester United 2016)
Quote:Will we see a brake on things now? Or is it roll on to the first £200m footballer.mapleleafgooner
Amazing progression of transfer fees.....
Patrick William “Willie” Groves - first £100 footballer (Aston Villa Park 1893)
Peter Marinello - first £100k footballer (Arsenal 1970)
Trevor Francis - first £1m footballer (Nottingham Forest 1979)
Jean-Pierre Papin - first £10m footballer (AC Milan 1992)
Paul Pogba - first £100m footballer (Manchester United 2016)
I was very excited when we signed our first £200K footballer (Alan Ball) and he was worth it
"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.
Quote:Padre Pio
....................
Will we see a brake on things now? Or is it roll on to the first £200m footballer.
I was very excited when we signed our first £200K footballer (Alan Ball) and he was worth it
As of today, the 222 million euro transfer of Brazilian player Neymar from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in August 2017 is the all-time highest fee for a soccer transfer.
Quote:Very interesting. However I meant a domestic feemapleleafgoonerQuote:Padre Pio
....................
Will we see a brake on things now? Or is it roll on to the first £200m footballer.
I was very excited when we signed our first £200K footballer (Alan Ball) and he was worth it
As of today, the 222 million euro transfer of Brazilian player Neymar from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in August 2017 is the all-time highest fee for a soccer transfer.
"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.
Quote:Padre Pio
..............
Very interesting. However I meant a domestic fee
I guess the Philippe Coutinho move to Barcelona from Liverpool does qualify since an English team was involved. That was for a reported initial fee of £106 million, which could rise to £142 million with various clauses being met.
For an all British affair, Jack Grealish became the most expensive British transfer in football history after joining Manchester City from Aston Villa for £100 million.