Real Betis chased Antony all summer before completing a deal on deadline day to sign the Brazilian winger.
Manchester United made it no secret this summer that multiple players were not part of Ruben Amorim’s plans.
That was the case for players like Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.
Antony was always destined to return to Real Betis after impressing on loan last season.
After completing his move, Antony admitted he cried over his transfer after being made an outcast at United during the summer.
Antony rejected a move to Bayern Munich to ensure he secured a permanent move to Real Betis. Fellow Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen were also interested in the 25-year-old.
Real Betis CEO explains Antony transfer after delays from Glazers
It took Real Betis all summer to reach an agreement with United for Antony.
Real Betis CEO Ramón Alcarón has explained how they eventually completed the deal.
Speaking to El Chiringuito, as quoted by ABC Sevilla, Alcarón detailed how they had to wait for approval from the Glazers in the United States.
“There was a moment when we saw it was lost because United’s position was difficult,” Antony said.
“We had a difference of €5-6m and had already reached our limit. In the end, we all made an effort, we did our part, and so did the player and United.
“On Sunday, during the match against Athletic, the relationship was very tense. Around noon, United sent the draft contract and asked us to make the changes. It was clear that they were going to comply with our requests.
“In the early hours of Sunday morning, at 2:00 a.m., we received confirmation. In the morning, we closed the accounting for Antony’s future capital gains because we wanted to have the ability to recover the investment. It was one of the most problematic points, but we resolved it.
“Sunday at 2:00 a.m. is when the situation was unblocked, and we started looking for a plane so he could come on Monday afternoon. There was still a bit of stress because everything was agreed upon, but we had to wait for the Manchester United owners in the United States to sign, and they did so at 3:00 p.m. on Monday.”
How did Real Betis afford Antony deal?
Throughout the summer, it was suggested that Real Betis didn’t have the funds to match United’s demands.
Antony’s salary was also a problem Betis had to tackle.
Alcarón has explained how shirt sponsor Hummel made the deal a possibility, by launching a clothing line with Antony.
He added: “We’ve launched a clothing line with Antony, we’re participating with him through royalties, and he’ll also have some non-sporting income from that merchandising.
“If he ends up being the world star he has been, we at Betis hope to recover the investment and even what it cost us the previous year. It carries a certain risk because this is locked in for five years and at a high cost, but you can potentially reap benefits.
“It’s the most difficult signing I’ve made as CEO because there was a lot of pressure from all the Betis fans. It was taken for granted that he was coming; everyone was asking when he was coming.”
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