5 of the strangest football settings as non-league side unveil signing in Tesco

Non-league side Chesterfield raised a few eyebrows with their latest signing.

On the face of it, the acquisition of defender Bailey Clements from Ipswich Town is hardly ground-breaking. But it was more the manner of his unveiling that captured fans' imaginations.

The National League side decided, for whatever reason, to picture him with the club scarf aloft - whilst in the aisles at Tesco. When quizzed on why the photo was taken in the supermarket, one user suggested: "For the last 12 years everyone has seen rumoured players in Tesco. So they decided to make it true."

Here, Mirror Football wanders down memory lane and looks back on five other peculiar settings for unveilings, cup draws and new kits.

Taking smart-casual to another level

Think zany managerial unveilings and one, for fans of a certain age, immediately springs to mind. Back in 1994, Middlesbrough completed something of a coup when Bryan Robson was lured to the club as player-manager.

The Manchester United legend's appearance in front of the media remains legendary thanks to his attire that day. The combination of shirt, tie and blazer mixed with football shorts and socks made it a must-see.

Recalling the infamous episode, Robson later said: "The club's press team asked me if I would enter the pitch unveiling in a jacket and tie and mix it with my playing strip with my shorts and sock. As I was to be player manager they thought it would be good fun to mix the clothing for the launch.

"I still laugh when I see those photos - they are packed with great memories."

Carabao Cup draw in supermarket

The EFL have never been shy in diversifying when it comes to the draws for the League Cup. Since energy drink giant Carabao got on board in 2017, the tournament draws have been held in a variety of settings, including a bowls club in Bedfordshire to a studio in Bangkok.

But arguably the strangest came in 2019 - at a London supermarket. Former England players John Barnes and Ray Parlour conducted the first round draw from a Morrisons in Colindale, North-West London to a backdrop of confused shoppers and autograph hunters.

What's the strangest unveiling you've seen by a club? Let us know here!

Italian cuisine on the menu at Wednesday

Back in 1997, Sheffield Wednesday captured exciting Italian striker Paolo Di Canio from Celtic. Upon his arrival, the Owls deemed it best to try and go for something different when it came to his unveiling.

Di Canio holding up a Wednesday scarf in front of the Kop would simply not do. Instead, they saw fit to have him and the only other Italian at the club, Benito Carbone, tuck into what looks very much like an uncooked pizza.

It was the same a year prior, when Carbone's arrival at Hillsborough saw him get stuck into a bowl of spaghetti alongside manager David Pleat. And to add another layer of cliche, Wednesday also hired a man in a dinner jacket wearing a Luciano Pavarotti mask. Only in the '90s!

Escalator launch at Villa

Aston Villa chose to unveil their kit for the 2011-12 campaign at a shopping complex in Birmingham. Goalkeeper Shay Given was a new signing at the time but he did look rather awkward when posing and giving thumbs-up to fans with camera phones out.

Perhaps the idea of players being presented with the new kit whilst travelling down on escalators wasn't the greatest idea. Neutrals instantly made the 'going down' comparison rather than the 'stairway to heaven'.

Villa did stay in the top flight that term, but only by the skin of their teeth.

Wrexham's tongue-in-cheek sponsorship

Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have brought plenty of attention to Wrexham since completing a takeover of the club last year. And a tongue-in-cheek video to highlight their shirt sponsorship deal with social media giants TikTok went down a storm.

The clip included players from the club emerging from an Ifor Williams trailer wearing the new kit. Ifor Williams Trailers are sponsoring the team shorts. The owners then provide a voice-over before an outtake arrives at the end of the clip - which ironically was first launched on the club's TikTok account.