Gill Welcomes Berbatov

Despite putting in nearly a 24-hour shift on transfer deadline day, chief executive David Gill was back at his desk bright and early on Tuesday morning just hours after sealing the deal to bring Dimitar Berbatov to Old Trafford.

In an exclusive interview with MUTV, Gill says the club are delighted to have their man...

How are you feeling today after a frantic evening at Old Trafford on Monday?
Not too bad. It often happens this way towards the end of the window when things start to come together. The media speculate throughout the day about what’s going on, but a lot of these deals come together at the last minute.

At any point were you at all worried that the transfer wasn’t going to happen?
Not really. Obviously our interest in the player had been well documented in the papers throughout the summer, but I suppose the very fact that it went on until the last minute meant there was a slight worry. But I always thought it would happen. The fact that Spurs were willing to sell the player and he wanted to come to us meant we were confident. The last snag surrounded Tottenham’s need to bring in a replacement and ultimately Fraizer Campbell – one of our great young prospects – agreed to go there for a year on loan. So it all came together and we managed to get all the papers in by midnight to ensure everything is ready for the season.

What did you make of the interest and subsequent bid from Manchester City – was it a surprise?
Yes it was, but the takeover at City and the subsequent release of funds meant they were always going to be pretty active on the last day. Were we worried? No, not really. As I said before the very fact that the player had made it clear throughout the summer that he wanted to leave Tottenham to join Manchester United for playing ambitions was enough for us. He’d talked about his desire to play in the Champions League and to join a club that was challenging for major trophies. So we were quite relaxed about it.

How do you see Berbatov fitting into the team and will his arrival have some of the other lads worried for their places?
I think all the players recognise what a great player he is and I was speaking to a lot of them in Monaco last week and they all wanted to know who we were going to sign. They want to be part of the best squad challenging for major honours and bringing in a world class player in the shape of Berbatov shows that the club isn’t prepared to rest on its laurels. We always want to improve the squad and generally players want to play with the best players. They recognise it’s a long season. We’ve got a lot of games coming up and I’m Alex will use his squad to its full potential and ensure everyone gets their chance.

The fans are over the moon at Berbatov’s arrival…
We’re pleased about that. Obviously the fact that it took so long to sort out meant people were probably wondering if it would happen and I’m sure the supporters were a bit concerned. But the style of the player and the quality he’s brought to the Premier League over the last two years demonstrates that he’s a Manchester United player and I think we have a great star in the making.

What is Dimitar most looking forward to about life at United?
He’s very excited and delighted to have fulfilled his dream of coming here. His English is very good, he’s a very pleasant young man and he’s looking forward to being part of a team that’ll be challenging for honours on all fronts. The uncertainty over his future over the last few weeks had been a worry for him, but now it’s all sorted it’s great news for all.

You must be pleased to be signing a player who has already proved himself in the Premier League…
It’s certainly a plus to have a player who has already scored lots of goals in the Premier League and understands what English football is all about. Whenever we bring in a player from overseas, Alex, the coaches and the scouts have to assess how they think they’ll fit into the league. The very fact that Berbatov has already done that is good news.

What are the club’s hopes for Fraizer Campbell whilst he’s on loan at Spurs?
Fraizer has been a well sought after young striker over the summer and we did receive offers from clubs wanting to buy him. We didn’t want to sell though because we believe, and Alex believes, he has a great future ahead of him. Going on loan to a great club like Tottenham will give him experience in the Premier League and he’ll come back a better player and hopefully force his way into the team here. So we’re delighted with the deal – it’s good for him and good for us.

What can you tell us about Louis Saha's departure?
It was a decision that was taken by Alex, the player and the club. There were discussions over the summer with a few other clubs, but Louis liked what he heard when he met with David Moyes and decided Everton was where he wanted to go. Louis was actually the first signing I made when I became Chief Executive back in January 2004. Everyone knows what a great player he is and what he contributed [during his time here], particularly during the first half of the 2006/07 season up until he picked up a couple of injuries. That’s clearly been an issue for him over the last couple of seasons and I think everyone at the club and Louis himself felt it would be good for him to have a new start at a good club like Everton. All we can do is wish him all the best and thank him for the service and goals he provided during his time here.

Mikael Silvestre’s switch to Arsenal was certainly a surprise…
We like a few surprises! Mikael had been with us for nine years, played over 300 games for the club and done fantastically well. He was out injured for most of last season and when he came back he wanted to play again. But as with Louis I think everyone felt it was the right time for him to move on to a new challenge. Again we thank him for his service over the last nine years. You couldn’t meet a nicer guy, he was a model professional and I’m sure he’ll do very well at Arsenal.