Sunderland manager Terry Butcher was allowed to spend comparatively big ahead of the 1993-94 season, yet not all of the deals he proposed came off.
Having decided that the squad needed a huge overhaul, the gaffer was busy in the transfer market throughout pre-season, but whilst the budget he was handed by the board was said to have been one of the largest ever known at Roker, he was banking on a couple of high-profile outgoings to boost the kitty even further – and his failure to move on some of those
figures proved costly in the long run.
Having ostracised some key members of the group when he unceremoniously put them on the transfer list, Butcher would later have to backtrack and bring players back into the fold when his asking prices failed to smoke out any interest. The situation did little to boost morale at the club over the following months and, in the short term, left the Wearside boss with little wriggle room when it came to attracting new faces, with utility man Alan Harper one of those said to have been left unimpressed with what Sunderland were able to offer him.
Talks with the former Everton, Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester City player, who had just been released from a second stint at Goodison Park by Toffees boss and County Durham native Howard Kendall, had been positive at first, but on 21 June came the news that the 32-year-old had ‘priced himself out of a summer move’. This was according to The Echo’s Graham Robinson, who reported that Harper had been looking for a large signing-on fee, and quoted Butcher as saying: “I’m not interested in him now after finding out what his personal terms are.”
The development meant Birmingham City had become favourites to snap the Liverpudlian up, having already spoken to him earlier in the month, although despite Butcher’s rather emphatic stance, the proposed Roker switch proved to be not quite as dead as initially suggested. Discussions resumed shortly afterwards and, in August, Harper was invited to train with the rest of the squad ahead of the new season, a more upbeat Sunderland head stating that “Alan is vastly experienced and could possibly give us a few options. He is a bubbly character and can play in several positions, including full-back.”
These comments came on the eve of the Lads’ trip to Ayresome Park, where they were due to take on Middlesbrough in a testimonial game for Gary Hamilton. With John Kay injured, Harper was given a further opportunity to shine, playing the full 90 minutes in an encouraging 2-1 win. This was Sunderland’s final tune-up ahead of the campaign proper beginning at Derby County the following weekend, and in the build-up to that one it was widely reported that he would retain his starting place if a contract could be finalised.
Harper himself was now much keener on the idea too, seemingly, as he explained to Robinson’s Echo colleague Geoff Storey following the Teesside victory: “I’m hoping to negotiate a deal,” he confirmed. “Sunderland are a big club and if the manager offered me the terms I’d love to come.” Nothing suitable was forthcoming, however, and alongside trialists Chima Okorie and Ditimar Nikolaev – both of whom Butcher was passing on as well – the free agent still hadn’t signed anything by the end of the week.
Harper was perhaps grateful not to have been involved at the Baseball Ground in the end, given Sunderland’s woeful performance in a 5-0 humbling – the manager had been unwilling to select a non-contract player in a competitive fixture – but the impasse remained thereafter too. Neither party seemed willing to budge in terms of contract length, with Butcher offering 12 months despite his target seeking more security, although by Thursday 19 August the local press were claiming that things still looked ‘hopeful’.
This was two days after a League Cup home leg against Chester City, another match in which Harper had originally been pencilled in to feature. With his target missing out on minutes as well as wages, Harper was technically unemployed at this point, and by Friday Butcher admitted he was becoming frustrated with the drawn-out saga. The Lads were next set to take on Charlton Athletic, but further talks with the player’s agent had proven ineffective, and with the carrot of a route straight into the first team still not being taken, he advised Storey that “Alan Harper is not in the squad for tomorrow’s game.”
“I am losing patience with him. This has gone on for weeks. I am not saying the deal is dead and I can understand him wanting what is best for him and his family. I expected a call back this morning, but he hasn’t contacted me, so there is no way he could get up from Liverpool by the mid-day deadline to sign the forms.”
In the end, though, this latest hitch does seem to have been the final straw. By kick-off against the Addicks, Butcher’s thinking had changed and beforehand he had stated that “Harper won’t be coming here – I’ve made up his mind for him.” Given the comprehensive win over Charlton that he then witnessed, and all the obstacles encountered before it, he must surely have wished that he’d stuck to his position from this day all along.
Once his Sunderland move fell through, Harper went on trial at Stoke City before signing permanently for Luton Town in September.
