Sat Sep 20, 2014 6:19 am
The Cardiff-Paul Hartley saga has taken another dramatic twist with news the Welsh club’s billionaire owner remains determined to get his man.
Although Dundee released a statement on Thursday stating their manager had pledged his future to them, controversial Malaysian businessman Vincent Tan has refused to abandon his pursuit of Hartley.
News from down south is that the Dens boss is top of Tan’s wanted list and he’s instructed club officials to do whatever it takes to get him.
Dundee are aware of that, though what remains unclear is the exact level of formal contact between the clubs so far.
Suggestions coming out of Wales were that one offer to prize him away from Scottish football has already been made.
What’s not clear is to whom exactly it was made, but what is known is it was nothing like enough to make either Hartley or the Dark Blues give it serious consideration.
With a fortune of some £1.6 billion to dip into, Tan could afford to make both an offer the Dark Blues couldn’t refuse.
Much of Tan’s time over the past couple of days has been taken up with agreeing a severance package with sacked boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer.
That’s being reported as somewhere between £2m and £3m, and is an indication of just how much Tan can be willing to pay to get what he wants.
It’s believed he’s also authorised a sizeable transfer budget that would be available to Hartley in time for the January transfer window.
Exactly how the 37-year-old came to Tan’s attention is not clear.
While he remains relatively inexperienced in management, Hartley is regarded by Dundee as the best young gaffer in the country and, in recent weeks, has been praised by the likes of Scotland boss Gordon Strachan.
Dundee’s unbeaten start to the Premiership has also attracted attention, in this case unwanted as Sunday’s derby with Dundee United looms.
There was a feeling of relief at Dens yesterday when it seemed the initial speculation had been dealt with swiftly.
Now it seems what could be a losing battle may continue over the weekend at least.