Former Manchester City CEO Garry Cook explains why Kaka didn’t join the club

Former Manchester City CEO Garry Cook explains why Kaka didn’t join the club
Former Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook has explained why Brazilian superstar Kaka did not join the club in 2009.After City were taken over bySheikh Mansour in 2008, the club set their sights on a number of high-profile signings.4

Manchester City tried to sign Kaka from AC Milan

Their first marquee signing saw Robinho join from Real Madrid in a 32.5million British record transfer deal (at the time).The Brazilian scored 12 goals in his first 19 games, but Citys new owners wanted more star names to come through the door in the 2009 January transfer window.AC Milans Kaka, who won the 2007 Ballon dOr, was their number one target.Cook told Sky Sports: “We sat down with AC Milan and we signed a document that sold the player to Manchester City, so we’d bought him.4

Robinho was Manchester City’s first marquee signing

“We sat down with him and his father and we discussed the terms, but it didn’t appear that he was aligned with where he wanted to go.“The whole story got played out in the media and Kaka was waving his AC Milan shirt out on his balcony and at that time you think we may have been used.“Publicly he’s said he wasn’t convinced and I think that’s a fair assessment.“I actually caught up with him at Robinho’s wedding in Sao Paolo and asked him why he didn’t come, and he said ‘I was at AC Milan and I had Manchester City, what would you do?’ and he’s right.”4

Garry Cook (right) with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak (left) in 2010

Missing out on Kaka would not deter City, who spent big money on Carlos Tevez, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero in the forthcoming years.Those players helped the club end their 35-year trophy drought with a 1-0 win over Stoke City in the FA Cup final in 2011.Cook said: “That day changed the whole dynamics of what we were about.“Brian Kidd [City’s assistant manager] made one comment to me – ‘Garry, when you win the first one, that’s the catalyst that helps you win the rest.’ “I think that that FA Cup win is more symbolic than anything else that we’ve done in the last 10 years, only because of what it created and the way it changed the culture and the mentality of the club.”Cook engineered Sheikh Mansours takeover of City, which saw the Citizens become the richest club in the world.He added: “The deal was very quick, and actually if you look back at it now, it was somewhat professionally naive on both parties.“It was all a bit back of the napkin and a bit surreal really.4

Gary Cook brokered City’s takeover deal

“It was a one page document that said ‘We’re going to buy a football club and can you make sure we get a marquee player at the end of the window’.“The biggest challenge was getting people to come to Manchester City. It was very, very difficult to get people to sign for the club at the time.“During that week, we created a list of marquee players around the world and we tried to identify anyone we could bring to the football club because, if you don’t, the football club doesn’t get taken over.”

---

Liverpool replaced Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table with a 5-0 demolition of Huddersfield Town. Pep Guardiola's side will play again on Sunday away to Burnley, but will surely have kept an eye on Friday evening's game at Anfield.
Liverpool 5 Huddersfield Town 0: Mane, Salah star as Reds run

---

Christian Pulisic to Chelsea: Breaking down Maurizio Sarri's comments and his role in the signing The Chelsea boss said he didn't know about the deal until Tuesday
Football news - Maurizio Sarri: I didn't know anything about

---

Spurs complete first signing of the summer Posted by SpursWeb 3 hrs ago Tottenham Hotspur have gone 16 months without signing a single player, but it looks as if they are finally welcoming a new man on board, albeit in the form of an U19 starlet.
Tottenham transfer news: Tanguy Ndombele signing a priority

---

Football News. News Papers: Man Utd target Jadon Sancho, Declan Rice and Callum Hudson-Odoi DAILY STAR. Manchester United have abandoned their pursuit of Gareth Bale and will instead focus
Manchester United transfer news RECAP Jesse Lingard receives

---

Cardiff City are one of four Premier League clubs competing to sign Southampton's 29-year-old English striker Charlie Austin. is set to join Monaco from Borussia Dortmund on loan for the rest
Cardiff City Transfer Deadline Day: LIVE - Jacob Chick Journalism

---

Premier League table 2018/19: Alternative standings show how division should have finished, based on expected goals Using statistical models, this what the English top-flight should have looked
Premier League table 2018/19: Alternative stand | SportSpyder

---

Hearts 1-2 Celtic: Odsonne Edouard brace sees Hoops come from behind to complete historic treble treble Real News Reports-Start Your Day Here Odsonne Edouard was the hero as Celtic secured an unprecedented domestic treble treble with a thrilling 2-1 Scottish Cup final win over Hearts at Hampden Park.
Celtic win Scottish Cup: Historic treble-treble for Hoops

---

Sam Allardyce eyed for sensational return to Bolton by super-rich Chinese group plotting takeover of crisis club rich Chinese group Shandong Luneng - with a return for Sam Allardyce on their
Chinese group Shandong Luneng keen on Bolton takeover and

---

Watford striker Troy Deeney has dismissed rumours linking him with a move to However, the Hornets captain said that while Everton's interest was flattering, he was Deeney's last goal came in Watford's 4-2 defeat at home against Manchester United at

---

Tottenham Hotspur are pulling out all the stops for their last ever game at White Hart Lane. The players will be wearing special shirts with a new club crest on, a half-time even featuring Chas
LONDON - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium / New White Hart Lane

---

Reece Oxford is prepared to wait until the summer to seal a move away from West Ham United and head to Arsenal. The 20-year-old has had two loan spells with Borussia Monchengladbach and the Hammers are keen to sell him to a German club, but the defender wants to remain in England, report the Mirror.
Arsenal transfer news: West Ham defender Reece Oxford wants

---

Jose Mourinho 'eyes move to Lyon or Monaco' as former Manchester United boss plots next job in France's Ligue 1. Jose Mourinho has been out of work since Manchester United axe in December
Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho expects return

---

Maurizio Sarri's Blues are seeking to take their next step towards the Europa League final in Baku later this month Eintracht Frankfurt vs Chelsea: TV channel, live stream, squad news & preview
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Chelsea Prediction and Preview

---