Roy Keane’s decision to delay new contract talks with Brian Clough was acting as a catalyst for other star players in the team. It was transpiring that the manager’s son Nigel Clough was one of the eight players whose contracts were expiring and were unwilling to discuss new terms until the end of the season.
Keane’s decision to wait until the season was over had been taken as a signal by a posse of top clubs in England and the Continent that he will move on in a £5 million deal.