“Gentlemen whose sole ability to build up a good side depends on the payment of heavy and exorbitant transfer fees need not apply”
Athletic News, May 11, 1925
After Arsenal dispensed with the services of manager Leslie Knighton, an advertisement was placed in Athletic News at the behest of chairman Sir Henry Norris, inviting prospective candidates to apply for the position of team manager.
The posting referred specifically to candidates’ ability and personal character, with the club looking for the “highest qualifications” in both areas. But it was the reference to Arsenal’s reluctance to pay “heavy and exorbitant transfer fees” that set the man who would fill the post – one Herbert Chapman – a real challenge, particularly after the former Huddersfield Town supremo decided to put the feelers out for Sunderland’s legendary forward Charlie Buchan, who had plundered 224 goals in 413 games during a brilliant 15-year spell on Wearside.