I was thinking the other day about the signings we pretty much missed the boat on – especially between 2000 and 2020, when given our circumstances, we weren’t in the best position to act on them. But, to imagine them strutting their stuff at Elland Road, would’ve been class!
But, it made me wonder, had we been in a position to sign them, or, at least, to take the risk of how we’d have fared, considering the success that most of these players have gone on to achieve.
There are quite a few that I actually remember as well – definitely some notable names and, I’m sure many of you will recall some of these. But, what I’ve done is compiled what I think is my best XI of the players we basically missed out on – as in, we could have probably been able to get them had we acted fast enough. I’ve got to admit though there two or three names from left-field here that I’d either forgotten about or didn’t realise!
Anyway, with the players I chose, I’ve put them in a 4-3-3 system – not really one that we were massively accustomed to playing much between 2000 and 2020, but I think these players suit it.
Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez
Yep, in August 2020, Marcelo Bielsa was plotting a move for his fellow countryman and we were reportedly looking at spending £20 million on him. As it turned out, he ended up at Aston Villa – I think it was a combination of the board not being too willing to spend that much on a goalkeeper, but also him preferring to join a more ‘established’ Premier League side. I just wonder what our status would be right now had we signed him – he’s gone on to become one of the best on the planet and a World Cup winner with Argentina. Ah, oh well.
Left-back: Leighton Baines
It is understood that the former Everton and England international was on our radar while he was at Wigan Athletic before the Toffees swooped. Blimey, I’d have loved him but he was always going to go to a Premier League club. I thought he was pretty unlucky to have Ashley Cole in front of him for England – cracking player! A wand of a left peg.
Right-back: Seamus Coleman
Yeah – apparently so! Believe it or not, we could’ve had both Everton’s first choice full-back pairing (probably at one time, the best in the country for an individual club I reckon). We scouted him when he was at Sligo Rovers in 2009 and could’ve had him for £60,000 but we passed. Words fail me.
Centre-back: Harry Maguire
Linked to us before his move from Sheffield United. He ended up at Hull City and obviously then Leicester City before becoming the most expensive defender in the world (at the time) after his move to ‘that lot’. But, yeah, we passed on him in 2014 – I think he’d have done a decent enough job for us back then!
Centre-back: Raphael Varane
Yep, while he was at RC Lens, we scouted him in 2011 but it turns out, we couldn’t afford him. I mean, at the time, we’d just gone up to the Championship and I’m really not convinced how serious our interest was. Especially as ‘that lot’ joined the race just after, which pretty much put us out of the race – anyway, he went to Real Madrid and obviously smashed it.
Central defensive midfield: N’Golo Kante
We were apparently looking at him in 2015 while he was Caen but we didn’t push hard enough, which is actually pretty shocking – seems we’ve sorted our recruitment team out now, anyway! But, yeah, he joined Leicester and obviously turned out to be a machine.
Central midfield: Jude Bellingham
It still grates on me that we missed the boat with him and then didn’t even spot (or take a risk his brother – Jobe Bellingham), but yeah, just prior to his breakout at Birmingham City, we declared an interest but didn’t follow it up. Obviously he went to Borussia Dortmund where he became a star, before a move to Real Madrid. I’m just thinking about that windfall we missed out on!
Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the signing of Jude Bellingham.
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 20, 2020
Central midfield: Michael Ballack
Obviously he ended up at Chelsea, but even before his Bayern Munich days, we apparently looked at him in 2002 while we were flying high. What a signing he would have been for us as well – would have slotted in nicely alongside Olivier Dacourt or Erik Bakke.
Left-wing: Sadio Mane
Before his move to the Premier League with Southampton, we reportedly had Mane in our sights and could’ve signed him for £3 million from Metz in 2012. Gah, he’d have run riot in the Championship for us – probably would’ve taken us up single-handed!
Right-wing: Franck Ribery
I didn’t even know we had him on trial in 2005 apparently, but wow, if only we’d have signed him. It seems financial issues prevented us from doing so – probably not a shock there. Anyway, he went to join Ballack at Bayern and the pair cleaned up.
Centre-forward: Erling Haaland
Probably doesn’t come as too much of a shock this one, especially considering his familial links with us and, I’m sure many of you already know about it. But, yeah, we had the chance to sign Haaland from Molde for £4 million back 2017 but we signed, wait for it, drumroll … ..a certain Jay Roy Grot instead! I mean, what a judgement call that was. Ha, I jest of course, but annoyingly at the time, even that was too much for us and, he would obviously have been worth every penny. Eventually went to RB Salzbur before signing for Borussia Dortmund, then Manchester City.
We knew that, the board knew that – the fact is, we just couldn’t raise the cash. Gah. I am encouraged by the fact that he apparently wants to win the Premier League with us. I just hope at that stage, we’re in a position to sign him soon after some ridiculous short term success, or at least, that he isn’t too old by the time we do.
Interestingly, I could have also gone for Didier Drogba as well – we apparently were looking at him in 2002 while he was at Guingamp but didn’t act. Can you just imagine him and Mark Viduka up front for us back then? Wow.
