In the world of football, the success of any given team is often dictated by their ability to succeed in the transfer market… Manchester City and PSG are perfect modern day examples, and often money plays a big role.
Here’s our list of transfers that never happened:
5. Michael Essien To Burnley
Essien will always be fondly remember for his time at Chelsea where he established himself as one of the best midfielders in the World. But he was on the verge of signing for Burnley in 1997, before Burnley decided that his salary of £60 a week was too high for an apprentice and unaffordable to the club, as their owner later revealed.
4. Rivaldo to Bolton
Rivaldo came very close with Bolton back in 2004, and at the time the possible transfer grabbed all the headlines. It was the year when Rivaldo announced the retirement form international football. He claimed that he was eager to play in the Premier League, and Bolton would secure the signature of the Brazilian star.However, the deal was blown up before he could put the pen on paper.
3. Alan Shearer to Manchester United
The legendary English striker came close to signing for the Red Devils at the height of his career in 1996, but his love for hometown Club, Newcastle United proved too strong for Alex Ferguson to convince him to join the Old Trafford outfit.
2. Robert Lewandowski to Blackburn
In 2010, Blackburn tried to sign the Polish star from Lech Poznan, but the eruption of a volcano in Iceland, which brought all European air traffic to a halt, prevented Lewandowski from meeting with Sam Allardyce to finalise the deal.
1. Diego Maradona To Sheffield United
In 1978, the Argentinian legend came close to signing for Sheffield United. Sheffield manager, Harry Haslam, brought the young Argentine at the club, and asked them to cash £200k for his signature. However, the English club ended up settling for the cheaper, River Plate player, Alex Sabella, who coached Argentina to the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil.
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