Ighalo, 30, was not the reason United entered the transfer market in the first place and was nabbed last
minute as the tills were closing, at a cost. One they were willing to take on through gritted teeth as cover for
the injured Marcus Rashford to maintain their push for Champions League football next season. His
experience as a Nigerian international along with 31 Premier League goals for Watford under his belt
counted for him as the club took him on loan for a hefty wage.
By contrast, Bowen had just seven previous appearances in the top flight, with six of them coming as a sub.
Though certainly no snip at £22million – albeit on much lower wages – had been on the radar of many
teams. It was West Ham, embroiled in a relegation battle and with the resources to try and correct that, who
took the plunge on a player untested at this level.
But the expectation on mid-season signings, no matter how seasoned or rough around the edges, are the
same. They must make an impact as soon and as often as possible. Especially if they are a striker. That
requires ironclad confidence from the player in question, especially if, like Ighalo, they are joining a team
with higher ambitions. Louis Saha, a former United acquisition in January, can relate.
It was 2004 when the Frenchman, then 24, made the switch to Old Trafford for just under £13m after a
promising start at Fulham with 13 goals in 21 matches. Upon switching white for red, he netted seven more
in his remaining 12 appearances.
The similarities with his and Ighalo’s situation are easy to see. Once he learned of Sir Alex Ferguson’s
interest, negotiations progressed swiftly. Moving from a newly promoted side to the defending champions
did not affect Saha in the slightest. In fact, he saw it as finally getting to where he belonged.
“I wouldn’t say that I was nervous,” Saha tells The Independent, which is shown as much in scoring on debut
against Southampton and nabbing a brace in his second game against Everton. “It was never my mentality
to get nervous as a player.”
“I had to see moving as an opportunity and to be ready for it. It was a chance to play for a big club with a big
fanbase. I had to make sure that I was ready to make the most of it as an opportunity. So mostly it was
excitement and there were no more nerves than usual. And it was such a special time to join.”
Of course, United had done their homework. Ferguson, with eight league titles to his name at the time, and
his trusted coaches and scouts already had the measure of Saha’s mental traits. They had to make sure he
could adapt to their system immediately.
Saha was aware of this, too. Even though he speaks of realising a “dream” by joining the club – words
echoed by Ighalo last month – he had no choice but to take it in his stride.
“Yes that may be true,” he answers when asked if he felt that extra burden of a big club in the middle of a
hard-fought campaign with Arsenal. “But I knew what was expected. To me it did not matter when I joined
and it was not something I thought too much about.”
The scale of United as a club meant making Saha comfortable as quickly as possible was seamless. Then
again, moving from London to Manchester is hardly the biggest jolt, especially when it involves promotion
to a different level on footballing terms. The same cannot be said for Kevin Campbell’s move to Everton in
March 1999.
Campbell was looking for an out from Turkish side Trabzonspor amid troublesome times off the pitch with
the club’s owners. Everton, on the pitch, were in 17th, a point off the relegation zone but needing to add
know-how to a talented yet green frontline of 18-year-old Francis Jeffers and 19-year-old Danny
Cadamarteri.
Everton fans were unsure if the 29-year old was up to the task. At this time, playing for a team outside the
usual European elite, nevermind in Turkey, basically meant you were off the grid. There were no viral clips