Explaining why De Gea's transfer was stalled at deadline

It's not easy to understand what happened but the outcome of the David De Gea-Real Madrid transfer saga is a very embarrassing one for Los Blancos. No matter whose fault this is, the bottom line is that Madrid were not able to sign the player they wanted because the documents did not arrive in time.

Some reports indicate that the Navas-Manchester United deal was the one causing the delay. There's no truth in those reports because Navas could have signed for United this Tuesday given that the British deadline is scheduled for today (18:00 CET). Manchester United sent De Gea's documents with little margin for Real Madrid to register the player in the Spanish LFP but it could all have been avoided had Madrid made an honest effort to sign the player days ago.

Instead, Los Blancos tried get a cheaper deal only to end up paying the money -- and player -- United initially wanted. Florentino Pérez seems to believe that transfers made at the deadline are more exciting for the fans and while Ramos and Ronaldo Nazario signed minutes before the end of the transfer market, this time David De Gea will be forced to stay with Manchester United at least until next winter.

Real Madrid will try to appeal and prove that they received the documents in time but that will be useless if the LFP received those documents minutes after the deadline.

Los Blancos handled this transfer saga very poorly and they are now paying the price. De Gea has every right to be upset with both Madrid and United and it would not be surprising to see him joining another club next summer. He showed a lot of commitment only to see his move falling apart because of the bureaucracy. It would be shocking to see Real Madrid winning the appeal, so for the moment fans should expect to see De Gea staying with United for some months.