Players who got away

[ryantegan]

Just watching that brilliant clip of Maradona in a Spurs shirt had me thinking of what might have been for us or other teams with players that got away.

I'm not suggesting we nearly signed Maradona, (in fact Sheffield United did)

In 1978, the Sheffield United manager Harry Haslam saw the 17-year-old Maradona in action on a scouting trip to Argentina and was so impressed he immediately arranged a £200,000 deal.
But that deal fell through when United, then in the Second Division, failed to stump up the cash. So Haslam signed another Argentine instead, River Plate midfielder Alex Sabella for a club-record £160,000.


But am i right in saying we nearly signed Souness as a boy?

does anyone have any good stories of players who got away?
and who is Alex Sabella? :grin:

 

[nedley]

Pleat allegedly turned down the chance to sign Zidane on the basis that he looked too 'Wooden'.

 

[ryantegan]

Pleat allegedly turned down the chance to sign Zidane on the basis that he looked too 'Wooden'.

Really? No way!

I heard that he was supposed to sign for Blackburn but Jack walker Vetoed it beacause, in his words, "We already have Sherwood!"

 

[ChRiStOpHe]

But am i right in saying we nearly signed Souness as a boy?

Not quite. Souness did play for us a boy

He started his career with us before we flogged him to Boro.

 

[al_pacino]

Pleat allegedly turned down the chance to sign Zidane on the basis that he looked too 'Wooden'.

Man Utd watched Zidane several times and he was poor in all of them, every team will have them.

 

[ryantegan]

Just read that Bobby Robson turned down the chance to sign John Barnes, our own Gazza for being overweight and amazingly Ruud Gullit for discipline problems. All for Ipswich!!!

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

 

[Winchy85]

Can't remember the two players Hoddle said he wanted but they were rejected based on price for a young player. He said it on Sky Sports not too long ago.

 

[ryantegan]

Can't remember the two players Hoddle said he wanted but they were rejected based on price for a young player. He said it on Sky Sports not too long ago.

Cmon find the names!!!

 

[class of 62]

Just watching that brilliant clip of Maradona in a Spurs shirt had me thinking of what might have been for us or other teams with players that got away.

I'm not suggesting we nearly signed Maradona, (in fact Sheffield United did)

In 1978, the Sheffield United manager Harry Haslam saw the 17-year-old Maradona in action on a scouting trip to Argentina and was so impressed he immediately arranged a £200,000 deal.
But that deal fell through when United, then in the Second Division, failed to stump up the cash. So Haslam signed another Argentine instead, River Plate midfielder Alex Sabella for a club-record £160,000.


But am i right in saying we nearly signed Souness as a boy?

does anyone have any good stories of players who got away?
and who is Alex Sabella? :grin:

sabella was a classy dribbling midfielder/winger... after the 78 world cup in argentina we opened the floodgates by signing ossie & ricky firstly & birmingham signed alberto tarrantini a full back... then came sabella who was a classy midfielder who loved to dribble... scored a couple of wonderful goals if i remember correctly.. he was a real entertainer & soon became a favourite up there... i think he became very homesick & went home eventually.

 

[ChRiStOpHe]

Can't remember the two players Hoddle said he wanted but they were rejected based on price for a young player. He said it on Sky Sports not too long ago.

Not sure it was based on them being young, but I'm 90% sure the players were Morientes and Eto'o.

 

[Teemu]

Didn't we turn down Bergkamp for Chris Armstrong? Best decision ever.


Also, Bobby Convey. Still cry myself to sleep to this day that his work permit was rejected.

 

[class of 62]

Not sure it was based on them being young, but I'm 90% sure the players were Morientes and Eto'o.

eto'o was definatley one... he wanted to come here as well at the time.

 

[class of 62]

des walker... only lived round the fecking corner!!!..

 

[yanno]

Andres D'Alessandro. We could have signed him when he was the star of the Argentine U21 side, but the Goon in the Overcoat refused to sanction the deal. Graham preferred lumps like Gary Doherty to flair players like D'Alessandro.

 

[Davids_5]

Didn't Hoddle want Diego from Juventus? Who was at Santos at the time and I remember ITK stating how Carlton Cole turned up hungover to a medical here.

 

[Luka Lennon]

Diego, De Jong and Petrov are 3 from recent times that we came close to signing all in the Jol era I believe. All wanted more wages than Levy was willing to pay though so hopefully the new stadium will stop us missing out on the best talented youngster in the future Petrov aside who was proven quality at the time maybe Berby wouldn't of fecked off if we had of signed his mate.

 

[Winchy85]

Diego was a done deal basically, then his permit was rejected as we weren't part of the top few teams back then.

Morientes and Eto'o were the players, they were rejected as too big a risk for the money asked for, and the money was fuck all!

 

[ChRiStOpHe]

Morientes and Eto'o were the players, they were rejected as too big a risk for the money asked for, and the money was fuck all!

I remember Real Madrid rejecting a £15.8m bid from us in the summer of 2002. Eto'o was very strongly linked for £6m, around the time he didicated his goal against England, making a tit of Campbell in the process, to Tottenham fans.

Morientes, at least based on his time in England, was a bullet dodged. Eto'o on the other hand... :-(

 

[we_all_loved_freund]

Pleat allegedly turned down the chance to sign Zidane on the basis that he looked too 'Wooden'.

I think it was actually Gerry Francis... :shrug:

 

[ryantegan]

I think it was actually Gerry Francis... :shrug:

what gerry looked wooden? lol