Despite being widely-regarded as the best player on the planet in his position, Everton legend Neville Southall never got to play in the World Cup.
But back in 1990, the Blues almost replaced him with a goalkeeper from that summer’s finals. Today marks the 25th anniversary of Southall’s 751st and final Everton appearance – a milestone that is marked in a special edition of the ECHO’s Royal Blue podcast – but in 1990 the Welsh international’s future at Goodison Park was looking doubtful.
Despite penning a marathon seven-and-a-half-year deal in December 1988, Southall slapped in three separate transfer requests in 1990 and the Blues seriously looked into finding an alternative in between the sticks. Indeed, manager Colin Harvey went as far as bringing in another goalkeeper who had played in that summer’s World Cup finals in Italy.
Ahmed Shobair, who went on to win 107 caps for his country, had turned out for Egypt in the same group as England and the Republic of Ireland in Sicily and Sardinia – coming up against Southall’s club colleague Kevin Sheedy who would net the Emerald Isle’s first goal in the finals. Shobier would also go on to win seven Egyptian titles and five cups with his club Al Ahly over a 17-year spell between 1980-97 that would eclipse even Southall’s 16 years with Everton between 1981 and 1997. But both of these lengthy tenures might have been cut short if the Blues had taken the plunge during a time in which the Welshman remained disillusioned.
It was remarked that Shobair had “brought the weather with him” when he arrived for a week-long trial on July 19, a day in which Liverpool was basking in temperatures of 82 degrees Fahrenheit, which the ECHO pointed out was a degree hotter than Rio de Janeiro that day (omitting the fact that it was officially winter in the southern hemisphere). While Scousers sweltered, joining in training at Bellefield, the Egyptian quipped: “For us it is not hot. It is just right.”
Posing for a photograph with Andy Hinchcliffe, Everton’s new signing from Manchester City, on the back page, Shobair told the ECHO: “Everton is a big club with a good coach and to come here would be another step to becoming a professional player. I like English football so much. I want to play in England because it suits my style and the action is spectacular.
“I know Everton is a big name which has won the league and cups. I know there are good players here. I see English football on television in Egypt. I hope to convince people while I am here, but this is not a test because I have played 60 times for Egypt. I am here to train and get familiar with players.”
Manager Harvey said: “Obviously he has got to be of a good standard. It’s a case of us looking at him and him at us to see if he can settle. From the bits I saw, I thought he did well in the World Cup. But we need to see how he performs in a pressure situation, which we’ll be able to do over the next week.”
Five days later it was reported that Shobair joined the rest of the Everton first-team squad, manager Harvey, chairman Philip Carter and chief executive Jim Greenwood at an awards ceremony that saw “want-away star” Southall receive his player of the year trophy from supporters’ club chairman Bob Evans, an event at which fans appealed to the Wales international not to leave.
Meanwhile, also in that evening’s ECHO, Linda McDermott crowbarred as many Egyptian-based jokes as possible into her column when proclaiming how she could not see Shobair “getting his wish to displace the excellent Neville Southall.” These included putting “the curse of the Pharaohs on Nev”, building a pyramid to replace Goodison’s Park End, because “the Blues need all the corners they can get” and a claim that she asked one of Everton’s first team “what they thought of handsome Ahmed and he said: ‘He’s defo a mummy’s boy'.”
When it came to the more serious business of Shobair’s potential move though, three days later, Southall’s former Wales boss Mike Smith – who had also been in charge of the Egypt national team between 1985-88 – told the ECHO that the Al Ahly man had the talent to rival the Everton legend. He said: “Ahmed is a super lad who has worked very hard at his goalkeeping. I think he’s a flier. In my opinion he’s a good ‘keeper. He served his apprenticeship for a long time.
“When I was in Egypt he was his country’s second choice behind the captain of the side. I picked him instead of the senior ‘keeper and he’s played with confidence ever since. In training he never stinted and he’s grabbed his chance to establish himself as Egypt’s first choice for the last three years.”
Just 24 hours later though, it emerged that the imposing presence of Southall could prevent Shobair’s dream move. Ric George reported that the Blues were keen to sign the Egyptian keeper but their hopes of bringing the player to Goodison might be dashed as uncertainty surrounded their obtaining of a work permit.
One of the conditions of it being granted was that the authorities had to be convinced that Shobier would come to Everton as first-choice goalkeeper but as George wrote: “Obviously with Southall, the world’s best in his position, in Colin Harvey’s squad, senior football for the African cannot be guaranteed. The brilliant Southall, who had a transfer request turned down at the end of last season, still wants to leave Goodison and a solution might be to adhere to his wishes.”
Shobair was desperate to turn professional by signing for Everton – Egyptian club football was still part-time during this period – and flew back to Cairo that day to speak to his club, his country’s Football Federation and to see his family after impressing Harvey at Bellefield. He said: “I have enjoyed training and working with Neville. Everybody has been so friendly and I have learned a lot.”
Indeed, with Harvey then angrily blasting a Sunday newspaper report claiming he had made a £500,000 bid for another Welsh keeper, Andy Dibble of Manchester City, those work permit requirements would scupper any potential move, despite Everton sending chief scout Terry Darracott to monitor Shobair’s progress.
Manchester United, whose manager Alex Ferguson had dropped previous first-choice Jim Leighton for Les Sealey in that year’s FA Cup final replay against Crystal Palace, were linked with a move for Southall, but given that it was understood that Goodison Park chiefs would be expecting a fee of around £3million for their prize asset at a time when Nigel Martyn was the British record signing for a goalkeeper at £1.2million, he stayed put. As Wales manager Terry Yorath said: “As players go, he is unbuyable. If he was transferred, it would have to be for a mammoth sum.”
Southall subsequently kicked off the 1990/91 season with his half-time sit-in against Leeds United, an act that saw he fined a week’s wages – around £4,000 – but remained Everton’s number one for another seven years, going on to become the only player to win a second FA Cup with the Blues.
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