Premier League's Greatest Transfer Near-Misses
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- Blackburn Rovers owner Jack Walker declined to sign Zinedine Zidane in 1995, reportedly asking "Why do we need Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?" — Zidane went on to win the 1998 World Cup and Champions League with Real Madrid.
- Tottenham stalled at a £25m asking price for Gift Orban in 2023 as a Harry Kane replacement; the Nigerian has since scored just 17 goals across four clubs and joined Turkish side Amedspor on loan last week.
- Manchester City offered AC Milan £108m for Kaka in January 2009 — more than double the world record at the time — but the Ballon d'Or winner rejected the move and joined Real Madrid for £56m six months later.
- Kylian Mbappe held talks with Liverpool in 2017 (his mother's favourite club) with the Reds laying on a private jet, but chose PSG, where he won six successive Ligue 1 titles before joining Real Madrid in 2024.
- Steven Gerrard handed in a transfer request at Liverpool in 2005 amid £32m interest from Chelsea's Jose Mourinho, but reversed course citing "family reasons" and went on to make more than 700 appearances for the Reds.
- Bolton Wanderers pursued 2002 World Cup winner Rivaldo in 2004 after he publicly declared he wanted to take the club into Europe; he changed his mind and joined Olympiakos instead for three seasons.
- Fulham submitted a £12m bid for Antoine Griezmann in January 2014 but spent the money on Kostas Mitroglou, who failed to score in three Premier League matches before relegation — Griezmann went on to help France win the 2018 World Cup.
Why it matters: Blackburn's rejection of Zidane came the same year they won the title — and across all seven cases, the player who got away went on to lift trophies (World Cups, Champions Leagues, league titles) that the English club never came close to. Tottenham's stalled Orban deal in 2023 left them scrambling for a Kane replacement, while Fulham's pivot from Griezmann to Mitroglou triggered relegation that same season.
