Skip to main content

Bryan Robson completed record Man United transfer over Liverpool after West Brom 'unsettled' him

The West Brom legend also revealed that he could have signed for Liverpool instead of Man United in 1981

bryan robson west brom
Former West Brom player and manager Bryan Robson.(Image: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Bryan Robson has revealed what made him want to leave West Bromwich Albion and join Manchester United in a blockbuster transfer over 40 years ago.


The ex-England midfielder made 252 appearances for the Baggies before leaving in 1982. He moved to Old Trafford for a then-British record transfer fee of £1.5 million, going on to win two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the League Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup.


In a recent interview, however, Robson suggested that he might have been willing to stay at West Brom had they matched his ambition. In the late seventies the club boasted a talented squad that reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1978, and finished third in Division One and reached the Uefa Cup quarter-finals in 1979 under manager Ron Atkinson.


EXPIRING: Every West Brom contract & the players whose deals run out this summer

READ ALSO: West Brom have identified a 'future star' ready to unleash next season

Robson believed that the side could reach even greater heights and bring success to the Hawthorns, but rather than keep the squad together the club sold some of their star players. This was disconcerting for the Chester-le-Street-born player and ultimately led to him wanting to win trophies elsewhere.

Article continues below

"What unsettled me at West Brom is," Robson told the Quickly Kevin podcast, "we had a really good team in 1978/79 that I thought were really going to go places, but then all of a sudden West Brom sold Laurie Cunningham to Real Madrid and Len Cantello to Bolton Wanderers, who I thought were two of our best players. So that unsettled me, because I wanted to win things in the game."

Robson also revealed that he could have signed for the wildly successful Liverpool team of the eighties instead, with players from both the Reds and Man United trying to tap him up while on international duty with England. In the end 'Captain Marvel' reunited with Big Ron as Liverpool were not willing to match the transfer fee for which Albion were asking.

"When Ron (Atkinson) moved to Manchester United, in the England camp the United lads were saying the club would like to sign me. The lads would see if there is anything there from yourself, and it wasn't just the United lads.


"Most of the England team was built around the Liverpool squad at that time, so I got very friendly with Terry McDermott. Terry, Phil Neal, Kevin Keegan, all them lot would be saying 'Liverpool are after you, they'd love you to sign'.

Get the latest West Brom news and opinion by signing up here!

"You'd get that kind of conversation (in the England camp), but I was contracted to West Brom and at the end of the day (it came down to) who was going to pay the most money for me - and that would be the club that I'd go to.

Article continues below

"From what I heard, Liverpool wouldn't go above £1.2 million, where Man United went to £1.5 million, and they accepted that. That's when they allowed Remi Moses and myself to talk to Manchester United."

Robson returned to West Brom as manager in 2004, 23 years after his departure as a player. In his first season his side defied all the odds to avoid relegation from the Premier League, becoming the first top-flight side to avoid the drop after being bottom of the table on Christmas Day.

What's your verdict? Let us know in the comments below!

READ MORE: West Brom defender makes 'every right' admission about the fansREAD MORE: West Brom boss Steve Bruce dealt fresh worry ahead of Birmingham City
Follow Birmingham Live:


West Bromwich Albion FCWest Brom transfer newsFootball League ChampionshipManchester United FCLiverpool FCPremier Leaguewest bromwich albion transfer news
reach logo

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the saleor sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Privacy Notice.