‘Roy Keane named me one of his worst signings – things didn’t go how he needed’
Pascal Chimbonda has clapped back at Roy Keane‘s scathing review dubbing him one of his worst-ever signings.
The former defender, who made a name for himself with stints at Wigan Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur, was snapped up by Keane for Sunderland during the 2008 summer transfer window. However, by Christmas the Manchester United icon had left the building with the Black Cats in the Premier League relegation zone.
Chimbonda wasn’t far behind in making an exit, as he headed back to Tottenham in the January window. Earlier this year, Keane labelled him “hard work” having had him training with the reserves for a month.
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But Chimbonda isn’t having any of it, the Mirror reports, as he told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “When he said that signing me was a bad choice, I didn’t understand it to be honest. First of all, he called me to tell me he wanted me to come and play for Sunderland.
“Why did he do that, if people told him beforehand that it might not have been a good idea to sign me? You signed me because you know I’m a good footballer and maybe I could’ve done something special for you at Sunderland.
“Things didn’t pan out as he’d hoped because obviously he got the sack, you know. And then afterwards, he’s there saying signing me was a bad move.”
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(Image: Getty Images)
Chimbonda has blasted back, claiming he’s been unfairly targeted by Keane who splashed the cash on a host of players that didn’t quite cut the mustard. “He signed so many players that summer, but he said that I was the bad choice,” he said.
“Why only me? I don’t understand. He signed El Hadji Diouf, he signed Djibril Cisse, he signed Steed Malbranque, he signed Teemu Tainio… he signed so many players, but the one person who has to take the blame is me?
“I don’t understand his point of view there. Look, Roy is someone I respect, and I always will, because he won so much for Manchester United and captained his club and country. You, as the manager, make your decision, and you know the players you are signing. It’s always easy to blame someone else.”
Keane, now a pundit with Sky Sports and ITV, seems to have given up on coaching, while Chimbonda dipped his toes into management waters last year with non-league Skelmersdale United. However, his stint was short-lived; he got the boot after a tumultuous time which saw the team relegated, a red card in his debut match, and a stint as player-manager.
