Jaap Stam was sold by Manchester United to Lazio in 2001 after three successful years at Old Trafford in what was a decision Sir Alex Ferguson later came to regret
Sir Alex Ferguson confessed to his regret over the sale of Jaap Stam – agreeing with Gary Neville’s description of the decision as a “travesty”.
The legendary Manchester United boss signed the Dutch defender from PSV Eindhoven in 1998 for a fee of £10.6million, and it quickly became apparent why such a sum was spent. During his three-year stint in Manchester, Stam proved himself as one of the world’s top defenders, helping the club secure three consecutive league titles and a treble triumph in the 1998/99 season.
Despite his significant contributions, he was unexpectedly sold to Lazio for £15.3m in 2001 following a fallout with Ferguson over allegations made in Stam’s autobiography, Head To Head. The book claimed that United had illegally “tapped him up” prior to his transfer from PSV.
The first season after Stam’s departure saw United fail to win any trophies for the first time in four years, a fact that led to Ferguson’s eventual admission of regret over the decision. Neville also expressed his shock at the decision to let the former centre back go.
“Sir Alex Ferguson has since admitted it was a mistake [letting go Jaap Stam],” the Sky Sports pundit said on the Stick to Football podcast, via the Mirror. “When it happened, it was a massive shock. It’s a travesty really that [Jaap] only played for Manchester United for three years.
“The quality of centre-back [Jaap] was – one of the best centre-backs that’s ever played in the Premier League, let alone at Manchester United.” Six years after selling Stam to the Serie A side, Ferguson expressed his regret over the Dutchman’s departure, but suggested his exit was due to an Achilles injury he had suffered a year earlier rather than the claims made in his autobiography.
“At the time he had just come back from an Achilles injury and we thought he had just lost a little bit,” the now 83-year-old shared with an audience at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow.
“We got the offer from Lazio – £16.5m for a centre-back that was 29. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. But in playing terms it was a mistake.
“He is still playing for Ajax at a really good level.” After a three-year stint in Rome, Stam spent two years at AC Milan before concluding his career in his native Netherlands with Ajax in 2007.