Best player your team nearly signed/was linked too but didn't sign?

[hbk4894]

Reading about who arsenal have nearly signed over the years so just wondering who your team has missed out over the years

For Bolton
Rivaldo
Jimmy Bullard
David Dunn
Hamann

 

[JJH]

Where do I start?

 

[Stevencc]

Over to you, Liverpool and Arsenal fans.

 

[Renegade]

Messi.

Dodged a bullet there. 6/10.

 

[roversfan2001]

Lewandowski and Zidane.

 

[Madejski]

Not going to be on the same levels as others but Gylfi Sigurdsson's return and Geoffrey Kondogbia last time we were in the Prem. May be some bigger ones going further back, but I doubt it.

Also worth noting that Bernd Schuster came over for a managerial job interview with us but failed it. We went with Terry Bullivant instead who got us relegated, meanwhile Schuster built up a good CV and was manager of Real Madrid within 10 years.

 

[silkyman]

Figo?

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...tball-news/figo-nearly-a-city-slicker-1142858

 

[Pagnell]

Over to you, Liverpool and Arsenal fans.

OK, if you insist. Ronaldo in 2003. He wanted the move apparently.

http://liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/portuguese-star-keen-on-reds-move

 

[JaseTheVillain]

We were offered Falcao for £5million in 2009. We decided it would be a far better decision to sign Emile Heskey...

 

[Sheffsteel]

In 1978 our local papers had the headline in the backpage.

Blades to sign teenage sensation Maradona.

No one had heard of him, think Diego was 16 yrs old and very highly rated.
He agreed to join us and most of the board agreed to sell.

However the deal fell through at the last minute.
Apparently their owner was on holiday and when he returned he wanted a bit more money.

Sheffield United refused and bought their 2nd choice target instead.
Alex Sabella (the current Argentina manager) from River Plate.
To be honest Sabella had the skill of Maradona (yes seriously) but no pace (knicknamed The Sloth in Argentina) and was lightweight, hated playing on muddy pitches and cold rainy windy conditions.

 

[Jarv]

I reckon it's Ronaldinho for United in my Lifetime

 

[JimJams]

To be honest Sabella had the skill of Maradona (yes seriously) but no pace (knicknamed The Sloth in Argentina) and was lightweight, hated playing on muddy pitches and cold rainy windy conditions.

So you'd have had to rest him against Stoke then?

 

[joethegill]

Peter Beardsley.

 

[DarkSithLord]

You will like this one.

I have it on very good authority that we almost signed Jamie Vardy from FC Halifax Town.

Apparently we were willing to offer as much as Fleetwood, but the difference was that Fleetwood offered to pick Jamie up from a service station while our manager (Nicky Law) told him to make his own way to the ground to sign a contract with us. He chose to except Fleetwood offer of a chauffeur.

 

[lordofthepies]

Jamie Vardy trained with us for a couple of weeks when he was at Stocksbridge Park Steels but we decided he wasn't quite ready. Then when he was at Halifax, we came very close to signing him again - he wanted to sign for us but we wouldn't pay the £50k so he went to Fleetwood instead. I often wonder what happened to him, I don't think he went on to achieve much.

 

[lordofthepies]

Alex Sabella (the current Argentina manager) from River Plate.

A fairly minor point, but he left the Argentina job nearly 2 years ago.

 

[KevinMcallister]

back in 2000 when we were flying and gained CL status, quite a host of players linked

Rui Costa, Gattuso, Klose

 

[Bilo]

OK, if you insist. Ronaldo in 2003. He wanted the move apparently.

http://liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/portuguese-star-keen-on-reds-move

I remember reading a long piece on this a while back. We had a £5m-ish offer accepted until United came in and blew us out of the water. It seems like we actually would have signed him if United didn't come in at the last minute.

 

[Christian Slater]

So we paid £7m more than Liverpool at the last minute to scupper the deal? Even though we decided to buy him after playing Sporting in a friendly.

 

[lordofthepies]

Wasn't Cristiano Ronaldo pretty close to signing for Arsenal as well?

 

[Christian Slater]

A few clubs had scouted him but some fans like to make out their club had been scuppered.

 

[Bilo]

Didn't think you'd take offense mate, sorry.

 

[Christian Slater]

I don't. The myths that get made up by Liverpool fans about a myriad of topics based on hearsay is quite astonishing though.

 

[Bilo]

Jesus christ, quit the hyperbole. I was referring to an article in a thread specifically asking for "best player your club didn't sign".

 

[Christian Slater]

Not really. The context also still applies.

 

[SALTIRE]

The player I'm gutted Liverpool didn't get recently was Sanchez, would've started the season in the CL had he come though then thinking about that we'd still have Rodgers in and Klopp would probably be at Man Utd right now so maybe it's best it's turned out as it has!

 

[Libertadores FC]

Diego Forlan.

 

[The Mustard Tiger]

Lewandowski and Zidane.

Does make you think had we signed all the players we have been linked with over the years. And we didn't need Zidane when we had Sherwood in midfield.

Others we've been linked with but never signed are Roy Keane and Hernan Crespo in the 90s. And then we had the likes of Ronaldinho, Beckham and Riquelme touted as joining us when Venkys took over.

 

[The Fack]

It was on the back page of our local paper once upon a time so it must be true.

In 1997, we were linked with a young Nicolas Anelka, only for Mark McGhee to turn him down because he wasn't over the hill like all of his other signings. Months later, we signed Steve Claridge.

Masterstroke.

 

[epic73]

Every player ever.