Players clubs missed out on

Zeem

Zeem

Wonder Boy
15 July 2006
AC Milan
It is all over the news today how Robert Lewandowski was really close to joining Genoa in 2010. It also states that he attented the derby della lanterna against Sampdoria back then.

So I did a quick google search and boom there it was an article from 2010 were Preziosi jr is saying Genoa are close to Rudolf and Lewandowski. He must be hitting his head hard now. :LOL:

I find these really amusing. Any stories you'd like to share?
 
My friend was telling me that Blackburn Rovers were close to signing Lewandowski in 2010 but something to do with the ash cloud that happened around that time prevented the deal from being completed.

I doubt it's true, but it's funny to think about it.
 
arsenal missed out on signing maradona when he was teen and yaya toure had trials at arsenal but he failed his work permit. also demba ba almost signed for stoke but he didn't because of his wrecked knee. but now there is no problems with his knee.
 
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sticking to maradona, there's a nice story Gianni Agnelli told many years ago.
here's the link to the actual interview, but i'm gonna quickly translate it for those who don't speak italian.

gianni agnelli is talking about Boniperti (juventus legendary player and then also director during gianni agnelli's tenure).
the journalist is asking about Boniperti's scouting abilities. Agnelli says he was very good, but he also made some huge mistakes. he then goes on to tell the story of when, during argentina's World cup (1978), agnelli called boniperti on the phone and told him:
"listen Giampiero, i've heard stories about this 18 years old argentinian wonderkid called maradona, i believe we should give him a look"
boniperti replied "oh please mr. Agnelli, everyday u have a new wonderkid to propose.... this kid is no juve matieral... besides his name is ridiculous, just let it go..."
then agnelli: "listen Boniperti, this kid must be something special".
and boniperti "if he were something special, then i would already know"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg3rnTa-bF0
:)) boy do i miss Gianni Agnelli. u don't see such elegant, clever and classy people in football nowadays.
 
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Agnelli is a legend. :)

Michel Bastos played for now second league Excelsior in the Netherlands, was deemed as not good enough and they let him go.

Also, Ibrahimovic got screwed out of a trial at Arsenal by Malmö's sporting director.
 
Forgot that one, argueably Giuseppe Rossi at United too.

If Robinho's mother wasn't kidnapped, he would have gone to PSV. PSV was negotiating with Chivas for Chicharito too, but then United snatched him away, PSV was very close to make it a done deal.
 
Damjan said:
Forgot that one, argueably Giuseppe Rossi at United too.

If Robinho's mother wasn't kidnapped, he would have gone to PSV. PSV was negotiating with Chivas for Chicharito too, but then United snatched him away, PSV was very close to make it a done deal.
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Rossi is definitely arguable since he has had a very stop-start career but he's good all the same.
Never heard the Robinho to PSV story, that's a mental turn of events!



Also there's this: Hart to United http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-not-signing-Joe-Hart-when-he-had-chance.html
 
Dazzlà said:
arsenal missed out on signing maradona when he was teen and yaya toure had trials at arsenal but he failed his work permit. also demba ba almost signed for stoke but he didn't because of his wrecked knee. but now there is no problems with his knee.
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The Maradona story is actually different. Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa tipped Spurs about Maradona, so they had their nose on him but he was a risk factor due to his temper. In retrospect, a bad call by Spurs.

At least that's the version I've seen in an old Ardiles interview on one of my dad's old VHS's.
 
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- Bayer Leverkusen didnt sign kaka, because he didnt pass the trial training.

- ruud van nistlerooy was already clear with bayern munich, revise his decision an go to manchester united

- in 1964 Hannover 96 will sign Pele, but the general government of brazil forbid the transfer in a foreign country

- werder bremen would sign Michael Ballack, at that time youth player of chemnitzer fc, but he wants to much money and move to Kaiserslautern

- werder bremen would sign juri maximov from dynamo kiev and get an offer to sign also Andrej Shevchenko. Bremen refuse this offer.

- in 2006 Hertha BSC get an offer for an Brazilian 16 years old striker named Pato for 3,5 mio EURO. To much they said. They get Alex Alves for 8 Million (RIP 2013).

- in 2001 Borussia Dortmund an Hertha BSC want Ronaldinho. But for Ronaldinho it was a to big leap forward - so he stayd in brazil. Hertha signed Marcelinho.

- in 1996 MSV Duisburg want to sign Pavel Nedved. The contract was already written, but the sign of nedved was missing. The euro 96 came and Nedved played a big tournament and goes to lazio.
 
There is also the story that Juventus refused to have Kaka for ...his name.
I'm not sure if this is true, sounds bizar. But i've heard the story during a live match of AC Milan when Kaka was there.

Then there is the story of Barcelona missing Di Stefano because Franco interfered to get him to Real Madrid.
 
Godotelli said:
We missed out on Figo just before he moved to Barca
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1995. Figo signed for both Parma and Juventus and, as a result, was banned from italian competitions for 2 years. Barcelona signed him after this.
 
United had Essien on trial, and had sorted a deal with Robben's father who is his agent...then Abramovich hired (ex-CEO) Peter Kenyon and both transfers went to Chelsea instead - to be fair for almost double the money in both cases.

Also United had agreed to buy Ronaldinho before Barca but Kenyon f*cked it up...
 
Arsenal and Ipswich didn't want to take a chance on £30k for Ruud Gullit.

My team Celtic let Shay Given and Brad Friedel out their grasp (Given was freed, Friedel was a trial that didn't impress). We also let De La Pena out of our grasp, Martin O'Neill had a hardon for trials (even asked Rivaldo to take one) and somehow we didn't want to keep De La Pena. He then moved to La Liga, can't mind what team, Espanyol or Zaragoza I think and he then went on to be instilled back in the Spanish squad.

Ronaldinho to St Mirren anyone?

http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/st-mirren/160971-ronaldinhos-failed-move-to-scotland/


:D

FD
 
Kenny Dalglish couldn't afford Paul Gascoinge in 1988 after already signing back Ian Rush from Juventus for 2.8 million.

Liverpool offered 1.8 million but Newcastle wanted 2 to which both Man Utd and Spurs agreed to pay.

Gazza was on his way to sign for Utd having agreed the deal with Alex but changed his mind whilst driving to Old Trafford over some material items Spurs offered him such as a car and house for his dad and a sunbed for his sister!
 
Maradona in Marseille 1990

Google translate :
In an interview with L'Equipe, the former chairman of Olympique de Marseille, Bernard Tapie returned to the failure of the transfer of Diego Maradona at Marseille in 1990. According to the former leader, they are "leaks" that have scuppered the deal. "There's not just him who had signed Ferlaino (President of Naples) was also signed, I had written the player and the club deal," Tapie said sports daily, before specifying the price would have had to pay the OM club if things had been done. "60 million francs, not even 10 million. This was a great deal. And since we could not have Maradona, we had Waddle for 45 million francs (less than 7 million). "

http://www.maxifoot.fr/football-rss91882/om-tapie.php
 
Damjan said:
Forgot that one, argueably Giuseppe Rossi at United too.
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another one united let go way too early (and perhaps easily) is pogba. that kid is UNBELIEVABLE!
#71 said:
1995. Figo signed for both Parma and Juventus and, as a result, was banned from italian competitions for 2 years. Barcelona signed him after this.
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yeah, i remember that :))
i also seem to remember berbatov did something similar early in his carreer (before joining leverkusen).
 
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Patrick Vieira with Milan AC play 5 games before move to Arsenal
And Ancelotti don't believe in Thierry Henry with Juventus (20 games)
 
lo zio said:
another one united let go way too early (and perhaps easily) is pogba.
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Yeah, that was a huge loss. However Fergie didn't have much choice, Pogba was essentially asking for a starting XI place every game (not that we'd mind, he was incredible) but Fergus wasnt ready to rush him, since he was only on a youth contract at the time United were basically powerless to stop him.

I'd add Morrison to the United list as well, though perhaps its a little early to judge him.
 
1998. Assis (Ronaldinho's older brother) was playing for Estrela Amadora (Portugal, ended as a club in 2011 because of financial problems) after being a Sporting Lisbon player.
He was always praising Ronaldinho and trying to make Estrela Amadora sign him from Gremio. They said they would think about it, but he asked for 1000€/month, home and car (even though he didn't have a driver's license), and Estrela Amadora refused right away. Their best youth squad player was getting 100€/month...

True story.
 
Damjan said:
Also, Ibrahimovic got screwed out of a trial at Arsenal by Malmö's sporting director.
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I heard this story differently: apparently Wenger wanted him and invited him for trials, but then was baffled by the sheer arrogance of his reply, which was something along the lines "Zlatan doesn't do trials" haha :LOL:

It's very likely to have happened, Ibra being such a megalomaniac lunatic.
 
Rentboy said:
I heard this story differently: apparently Wenger wanted him and invited him for trials, but then was baffled by the sheer arrogance of his reply, which was something along the lines "Zlatan doesn't do trials" haha :LOL:

It's very likely to have happened, Ibra being such a megalomaniac lunatic.
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Yeah, I've heard that too, but it's not true. I've read Ibra's book and he says that Wenger wanted him to trial, and Ibra was ok with it, but the Malmö director said that they didn't have time for it, they were going to multiple clubs to try and sell him.
 
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