Man Utd signing sparked man hunt after record Newcastle transfer agreed

02 December 2023 , 06:40

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Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson with new signing Andy Cole in January 1995. (Image: PA)

When Andy Cole left Newcastle for Manchester United in January 1995, there was shock on both sides, joy at Old Trafford and confusion on Tyneside.

Cole was a sensation at St James’ Park, scoring 12 in as many games to win promotion in his debut campaign before firing 34 times in his first Premier League season. But then there was a falling out with Kevin Keegan that included Cole storming out of a hotel, ultimately leading to a breakdown in the relationship between star striker and manager.

Still, the British record £6m plus Keith Gillespie move appeared to come out of nowhere and such was the anger of Newcastle fans, Keegan took the unprecedented step of addressing a number of them outside the ground on the afternoon it was announced.

And yet the former England striker’s move to St James’ Park two years earlier led to an even more bizarre moment, with a search party being dispatched by Bristol City because no one knew where Cole was when the deal was agreed.

In a pre-mobile phone era, members of the Robins' staff were unable to contact Cole and when club officials did not find him at home a congregation was sent out. His car was found empty in town with a note marked urgent left under the wipers. But he was in a launderette having his washing done.

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When Cole eventually returned to the car he spotted the note and realised something was up. The move was completed quickly and he steered the Toon back to the top tier.

His final record in the north east read 68 scored from 84 appearances and he would never come close to matching the 34-goal season (from 40 games) in 1993/94.

But it was Cole’s exploits at Old Trafford that will live longest in the memory. Across seven years, he scored 125 times in all competitions and won five Premier League titles - a trophy Newcastle are yet to lift - on top of the Treble in 98/99.

Several other players have appeared for both Uniteds in the intervening years but none has made such a stunning impact on both sides. Cole went on to Blackburn after Old Trafford, scoring the winning goal in the 2002 League Cup final before jumping from club to club until retiring in 2009. Since hanging up his boost Cole has endured ill health and had a kidney transplant in 2017.

Alan Smith