The Norwegian had endured a frustrating two seasons at Man United and a fee was agreed for him to join Tottenham, but a conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson made the difference.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still has the fax in his possession, signed by then Manchester United chief executive Martin Edwards and Tottenham chairman Sir Alan Sugar. On it were the terms of a £5.5million deal that would have seen the Norwegian head to North London in 1998, needing only his approval to complete the set and finalise the transfer.
Solskjaer initially joined United for just under £2million in July 1996 after enjoying two good seasons in front of goal with Molde in his native Norway. He was only 23 at the time and a relative unknown outside of his own country. With Cole and Sheringham the preferred pairing, Solskjaer saw little room to progress from super-sub to regular starter and United chief Edwards saw an opportunity to cash in. Tottenham had signed Les Ferdinand the previous summer but were in search of more attacking reinforcements, eventually agreeing a £5.5m fee for the Norwegian.
“If he had said I am sorry to see you go but all the best in your career, then I would have gone. But he wanted me to stay and so I didn’t sign the fax." Just days after rejecting a move to Upton Park, Solskjaer came off the bench with United 1-0 down to Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Yorke equalised for the Reds and Ferguson's super-sub struck again, netting the winner in added-time - it would be the second most important late goal of his season.
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