It began with a whisper in a crowded bar and a pair of twinkling Gallic eyes but ended yesterday in jaw-dropping embarrassment for Liverpool's ClubCall service and several national newspapers over the strange case of the transfer that never was. Or could be. Even those weaned on a diet of speculation were staggered to learn that Liverpool were prepared to invest £3.5m on an unknown player. The man in question was the French Under-21 international defender Didier Baptiste, who the News of the World revealed on Sunday was expected to leave Monaco to join Gérard Houllier's Anfield revolution. The Observer reiterated Baptiste's intentions, as did Liverpool's ClubCall, supposedly with the inside track at 60p/min, which promised regular updates on the story. Yesterday the news was repeated in the Times - the paper of record. It looked a neat little moneyspinner for the boy Baptiste and the end of Liverpool's lengthy search for a skilled left-back.
The problem is that Baptiste is in fact a soap star, an imaginary hero in Sky One's football drama, Dream Team. He is the actor Tom Redhill. In the twice-weekly show, Baptiste is portrayed as a Monaco player who is discussing the possibility of joining the fictional club in the series, Harchester United. Last week he was seen telling Harchester's PR girl that he was aware of interest "from a big club managed by a Frenchman". When asked if he was bound for Merseyside and Houllier, or Arsenal and Arsène Wenger, Baptiste merely smiled a knowing smile. It was enough to fool the press. Yesterday the News of the World said the story had been supplied by an agency which was "undertaking an urgent investigation into the matter". "We were as amazed as anyone to see this story in the papers," said a spokesman for Dream Team. "We can only assume someone saw the show and thought it was genuine."
back in november 1999 that was
was very quiet on the official front but i heard about this when it happened and couldn't believe it.
The problem is that Baptiste is in fact a soap star, an imaginary hero in Sky One's football drama, Dream Team. He is the actor Tom Redhill. In the twice-weekly show, Baptiste is portrayed as a Monaco player who is discussing the possibility of joining the fictional club in the series, Harchester United. Last week he was seen telling Harchester's PR girl that he was aware of interest "from a big club managed by a Frenchman". When asked if he was bound for Merseyside and Houllier, or Arsenal and Arsène Wenger, Baptiste merely smiled a knowing smile. It was enough to fool the press. Yesterday the News of the World said the story had been supplied by an agency which was "undertaking an urgent investigation into the matter". "We were as amazed as anyone to see this story in the papers," said a spokesman for Dream Team. "We can only assume someone saw the show and thought it was genuine."
back in november 1999 that was
was very quiet on the official front but i heard about this when it happened and couldn't believe it.
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