Followers of Serie A may not be familiar with the name Maurice Johnston, yet the recent fracas around the return to Naples of Gonzalo Higuain got me thinking; not just about the impact he had on the field, but the potential lasting effects off it as well.

 

Back in 1989, Rangers had just won their second league title in 3 seasons; only their second in a barren 11 year spell as the Holmes & Marlborough partnership kick-started what is today referred to as 'The Souness Revolution' at Ibrox.

 

However, while the aforementioned title would commence a run of 9 league championships in a row, it would be the sale of the club to Scottish steel tycoon, David Murray, in November 1988 which would see a signing occur that would set Rangers on their way to domestic dominance and set their city rivals back years.

 

Celtic had finished their 1987/88 centenary season as Scottish league and Scottish FA Cup winners, a triumphant return for new manager and Lisbon Lion, Billy McNeill. Following Rangers’ recapture of Scotland’s top prize, McNeill knew he had to improve his squad and, in a surprise turn of events, former player and Scotland International Maurice Johnston, now plying his trade in France with Nantes, told the Celtic manager he was ready to come home.

 

May 12th 1989; McNeill proudly unveils Johnston to the Scottish press and Celtic support as a Celtic player, kitted out in green & white hoops; McNeill, and the club, had their man - or so they thought.

 

Recollections of events that have since been revealed show that Celtic paid £400,000 to Nantes but had an outstanding balance of £700,000 to be paid; without this, the deal was left wide open. Johnston’s words on the day he was unveiled have become the subject of both folklore and ridicule in Scotland; “There is no other British club I could play for apart from Celtic.”

 

Rangers manager, Graeme Souness, sensed an opportunity and urged new club owner David Murray to make a move. And so, after weeks of cloak and dagger dealings, the Scottish press was assembled expecting the unveiling of John Sheridan; yet when the door to the famous Blue Room swung open and Maurice Johnston walked in flanked by his agent Bill McMurdo, manager Graeme Souness, and owner David Murray, the collective gasp from those in attendance in Govan could have been heard in Dalmarnock.

 

It was a bold move, an ambitious move; Rangers had not only signed one of the best centre forwards in Britain at that time, but they had snatched him from under the noses of their closest and fiercest rivals.

 

To this day, Graeme Souness has jovially said that the move had an element of mischief to it, but that’s the modern day Souness, a man far more mature and much wiser than he was his days as Rangers’ midfield enforcer/manager.

 

There are of course "other" aspects surrounding the signing of Johnston which I won't be discussing here or anywhere because they're of irrelevance in today's game; or they should be. This is about football, and I'm focusing solely on what I believe is an uncanny resemblance in the meaning of both signings and their mental impact on the respective clubs who lost out.

 

The signing of Johnston was two things; firstly it was a statement of intent that Rangers had the finances and the means to sign the very best in British football but secondly, and most importantly, it hurt Celtic; deeply. The move set Celtic back years, they took years to recover and the sight of Johnston in a Rangers jersey haunted them; none more so than when he scored an 88th minute winner against them at Ibrox on November 4th 1989.

 

It was, quite possibly, the perfect example of a club making the most impossible and improbable of moves to not only strengthen themselves but weaken their closest and most dangerous rival; not just on the field but in the stands, the dugout, even the offices and corridors of the stadium. It was an out and out psychological blow.

 

And so, to Gonzalo Higuain. 

 

The darling of the Napoli support, Higuain broke goalscoring records in his third season at Napoli, taking the Capocannoniere crown with 36 goals. Locals referred to him as ‘The King of Naples’, in fact one elderly local woman and pizzeria owner I befriended in a recent trip had a Higuain flag proudly flying outside her establishment; brandished with his smiling face and the number 36. Yet no-one could have foreseen what would happen in the summer of 2016.

 

While away with the Argentina squad at the Copa America, rumours began to swirl of Higuain’s departure and all the usual names were mentioned; Arsenal, Liverpool, and rivals of his former club, Atletico Madrid.

 

A move to Liverpool suddenly looked likely, as photographs emerged showing Jurgen Klopp casually chatting with Gonzalo’s brother and agent, Nicola Higuain. The player however, knocked those reports back, boldly stating that Napoli fans need not worry, his focus was on Argentina and then Napoli. Panic over; or so we thought.

 

In a stunning twist, amid confirmation from his agent that Higuain would not be signing an extension with Napoli, leaked documents spread across social media like wildfire; medical papers from La Moraleja hospital in Madrid, bearing the name of G.Higuain, were shortly followed by the news that Juventus directors Beppe Marotta and Fabio Paratici were present and a €7.5m per season agreement had been signed to make Higuain the highest paid Juventus player on a deal until June 2020. Napoli, and indeed Naples, were stunned.

 

In a similar vein to Johnston, Higuain had let little slip of his intentions; one stating he only ever wanted to play for Celtic, the other telling Napoli fans that they were his main focus for the season ahead. Both were revered by their supporters who had taken them to their hearts and both; one through a move abroad, the other through the influence of a new manager, had become superior players to the ones seen in previous seasons.

 

While the move made financial sense for Napoli, the modern game is a very different animal to the one Johnston and the Old Firm operated in back in the late 1980’s, and €90m for a 29 year old was great business for Napoli, but for Juventus it was more than a signing that would guarantee them goals; as much as they would argue Higuain’s goals were the driving force behind the move. 

 

No, under the stewardship of Maurizio Sarri, Napoli had taken considerable strides to closing the gap on the field with Juventus. The bianconeri had lost Paul Pogba to Manchester United and Napoli fans would have been buoyed by the sight of one of Juventus’ best players heading for the Turin airport departure lounge, perhaps sensing that if they could kick on from where they’d left off, this year could finally be their year. 

 

To suggest that Juventus didn’t recognise or indeed respect this rising threat from the south would be folly; and what better way to strike down a rising rival, than to hit them from within, where they’d least expect it? By activating Higuain’s release clause, they did what no-one expected, smashing the domestic transfer record to secure the signing of a top striker whilst punching Napoli square in the gut.

 

As was the case with Johnston and Celtic, it was a psychological blow to Napoli and one which Aurelio De Laurentiis must now ensure doesn’t set the side back and hinder the fantastic progress made under Sarri.

 

Casual observers would argue that the loss of Higuain has had little impact, the fact they’ve scored more goals this season without him will be the main argument to that very point. However, that’s not the impact I’m referring to; time and again I’ve used the term "psychological" and smashing four or five past the likes of Cagliari, Torino, or Empoli to rack up the goals scored column isn't proof that Higuain’s departure hasn’t had an impact.

 

It once again comes back to that term ‘mentality’. I wrote about it a few weeks ago and when Higuain scored that opening goal at the San Paolo, the gasp around the famous old ground was on par with the one which greeted Johnston as he entered the Blue Room at Ibrox. His goals, remember he put Juventus 2-1 up on the night, stuck in the throat of every single Napoli fan across the world; it hurt, and I’m not ashamed to admit that as a Napoli fan, of course it did. 

 

The irony is that the deal and the impact of it, both financially and mentally, has led to a widespread introduction in Italy of what is now referred to as the ‘anti-Juventus’ clause, fees inserted into players contracts that can only be triggered by clubs outside of Serie A.

 

However, lets not forget that a release clause being met does not mean a player must go; the player can still refuse to leave, state they’re happy where they are and simply get on with the job in hand. No, make no mistake here; Higuain engineered his move with a level of precision on par with his finishing in front of goal; and no pointing at Aurelio De Laurentiis in the stands or sarcastic tweets from his brother/agent Nicola will change that.

 

Although, Nicola Higuain's words should be instantly dismissed given that just 12 months ago he was bemoaning the alleged assistance Juventus receive from referees and tweeting ‘Forza Napoli’.

 

 

The ghost of Higuain may well loiter around Naples for a few years yet and sooner or later the supporters will need to find a way to simply filter him out; and what better way of doing that than showing him, and Juventus, that all they did was help Napoli to strengthen and take that next step.


James McGhie