FIVE Premier League Transfers That Almost Took Place But Ultimately Failed To Happen (Part 1)
With Harry Kane having announced that he will be staying at Tottenham, following Manchester City’s failure to agree a fee for the England captain, it got us thinking about other transfers that almost took place.
Over the last 30 years, Premier League teams have been close to snapping up a whole range of stars, who could have changed the club’s fortunes.
In part one of our series, we have listed some huge names that could have sealed high profiles moves if circumstances had been different.
Press the next page as we look at five Premier League transfers that almost happened but ultimately failed to materialise.
Zinedine Zidane To Blackburn Rovers
Rovers assistant manager Derek Fazackerley had scouted the French midfielder at Bordeaux and wanted to bring him to Ewood Park after the club’s Premier League title win in 1995.
However, the club’s then-owner, the legendary Jack Walker, questioned the merit behind signing the midfielder by saying “Why do you want to sign Zidane when we’ve got Tim Sherwood?” The playmaker would later go on to win the World Cup with France and become one of the greatest European players in football history.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang To Newcastle
The Gabonese international was at Saint-Etienne when he had the choice of signing for either Newcastle or Borussia Dortmund in 2013. His club wanted the striker to make the move to Tyneside as it was the better offer.
However, Aubameyang, who took advice from his father, believed working under Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund was his best option. He went on to become a prolific scorer for the German side before moving to Arsenal in 2018.
Steven Gerrard To Chelsea
The Liverpool captain even went as far as handing in a transfer request when the Reds rejected a £32m offer from Chelsea in the summer of 2005.
Gerrard then famously reconsidered his decision on the same day he handed in the request, ultimately coming to the conclusion that winning trophies with Liverpool would mean a lot more to him.
Rivaldo to Bolton
The Brazilian legend was a target for Trotters boss Sam Allardyce in 2004. He had previously persuaded the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha and Youri Djorkaeff to move to Lancashire and the club felt they were very close to securing another major coup.
However, despite Rivaldo expressing his desire to get Bolton into the Champions League, he decided against the switch, choosing a return to Cruzeiro instead.
Jack Grealish to Tottenham
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was close to signing Jack Grealish from Aston Villa before the summer transfer window closed in August 2018. However, a deal collapsed after the London club refused to pay above £25m for the player.
Grealish eventually left Villa Park three years later, costing Manchester City £100m earlier this month (August 2021).
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