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Leicesterpool

Almost Done Deals

By Leicesterpool, in Leicester City Forum

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Leicesterpool

Leicesterpool

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Posted

This may get moved to the transfer thread, but can anyone remember seasons that past where particular Leicester transfers were signed and sealed only for whatever reason the transfer never came to be plus what was the outcome, did we miss out or we were lucky. Likely 2011 will be a huge one, as Sven bless him had a shopping list of about 50 players he wanted to sign that summer sadly half didn't come to be. Here's a few a to get us going....

 

Billy Sharp- January 2012- Nigel's first window back, seen us chase the championship leading goalscorer Billy Sharp from Doncaster Rovers. Naturally Billy was a wanted man but it only seemed like Leicester were willing stump up the £2million wanted by Doncaster Rovers. Leicester gave in and bidded in the £2million which was accepted by Doncaster Rovers... Deal seemed like good business for the proven Championship striker. Just as sounded like Nigel got his man, Sharp turned us down! stating he was happy at Rovers... 48 hours later. Sharp turns up at Southampton! His loyality to Donny lasted two days. Sharp would later gain promotion.

 

Edgar Davids- Summer 2009- After departing Ajax, the dutch legend found himself out of contract. At the time it was said Davids was quite keen on a return to England, having spent two years at Spuds a few years before. A few clubs expressed interest, including Notts County! Once again Sven attempted to bring the dutchman to Nottingham to potiental be the player manager at Meadow Lane. Davids said no to Notts County after citing he wanted to play and live in London which kind of explained why he turned down the foxes also. I'm not too sure how much Nigel really wanted Edgar, may have been more Mandaric wanting the signing to happen. Supposedly Davids attended number training session as a guest. Davids I believe he announced his retirement, but then changed his mind a year later turning up at Crystal Palace in the championship.. Lets just say the Davids of 2009 was far from his best and his short spell at Palace a year later showed. 

 

 

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davieG

davieG

Posted
Posted

https://www.google.com/search?q=Johan+Cruyff&rlz=1C1GCEJ_enGB1010GB1010&oq=Johan+Cruyff+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIQCAEQLhivARjHARixAxiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQLhiABDIHCAcQABiABDIHCAgQLhiABDIHCAkQABiPAtIBCTQ1NTNqMGoxNagCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

How Johan Cruyff nearly signed for Leicester City in 1981
Jock Wallace knew that an experienced player could save his young Leicester City side from the drop so spent a month negotiating a deal with Johan Cruyff. Unfortunately for Wallace, Cruyff signed for Levante and Leicester went down

By Jeff Liv

davieG

davieG

Posted
Posted

While confirming the Cruyff example I found this old Merc article - https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/kane-beckham-cruyff-eight-surprise-8279860

 

Kane, Beckham, Cruyff - Eight surprise transfers Leicester City came close to completing
Latest Leicester City news from LeicestershireLive brings you a look at some of the players the Foxes came close to signing over the years, from Johan Cruyff to David Beckham


ByLuke PawleyMidlands Football Writer
20:37, 22 MAR 2023Updated20:40, 22 MAR 2023

Leicester City have had their fair share of transfer sagas over the years.

From the likes of Hossein Kaebi and Sergio Hellings, to Roberto Mancini and Esteban Cambiasso, it really has been a mixed bag over the years for Leicester City supporters.

There have been plenty of big names who almost put pen-to-paper with the club too but ultimately decided that the bright lights of LE2 were not for them. Below is a look at some of the biggest names Leicester came painfully close to signing.

 

Harry Kane
Yes, Leicester City did once sign Harry Kane - albeit on loan in the 2012/13 season. But a year later, the club almost signed him permanently.

Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood has revealed that Daniel Levy considered accepting a £600,000 bid for the striker in April 2014. Kane was put into the Tottenham team the following day, and he scored three goals in three games, leading to the bid being rejected.

The following season, Kane broke through in the Premier League and scored 21 goals in 34 top flight appearances. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

David Beckham
Sven-Goran Eriksson has admitted that he tried to sign David Beckham while managing Leicester City in 2010. The former Man United and Real Madrid was playing for LA Galaxy at the time, and did not immediately say no to the East Midlands. But when his wife Victoria chimed into the conversation, City's hopes of signing him were over.

Speaking on the Sacked in the Morning podcast last year, Eriksson said: “I asked him at a football event, and he was there with his wife. Before dinner we stood talking to each other.

“I was at Leicester at the time, so I said to him: ‘When your contract finishes in the United States, why don’t you come back to England, sign for Leicester and take us up to the Premier League?’

“He said: ‘Maybe, yeah,’ because he doesn’t want to say no. Then Victoria says: ‘Sven, can you see me in Leicester?’ I said: ‘Well, maybe not.’ Finished discussion about Leicester.”

 

Johan Cruyff
In early 1981, Leicester City were battling to survive in the top division. The team were lacking a leader and a strong character in their team, but there was a buzz around Filbert Street when they all-but-secured their man.

Jock Wallace had stayed in touch with Cruyff since the Dutchman ran rings around his Rangers team in 1973, and reached out. Cruyff, surprisingly, said yes. He wanted to join, and made plans to travel to Leicester. He agreed a deal worth £4,000 per match, for 11 matches.

Speaking at the time, Wallace said: “Johan and I have already agreed terms. He has one or two problems to sort out, but I am very hopeful he will join us on Thursday. I would like to think that part of Johan’s interest is down to our personal friendship. I have known him since 1973 when he scored a fabulous goal for Ajax against Rangers when I was at Ibrox in the first European Super Cup. The negotiations have been going on by telephone over the past three to four weeks and now I think I have my man. He would teach my kids so much and be a great advert for Leicester City.”

Much to Leicester's dismay, in the hours and days that followed, Cruyff negotiated and signed a deal with Levante in the Spanish second division. That May, after 10 games blighted by injuries, he left Spain.

 

Edgar Davids
Another Ajax great of a different era, Edgar Davids also came close to being a Leicester City player.

After he left the Dutch giants in 2009 following a second spell, a 36-year-old Davids was the subject of an approach from Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric. "If we couldn't afford him we wouldn't be talking to him," Mandaric said at the time.

"We are a very ambitious club but there is always room for improvement and our goal is to really give it a go and try to get up this year and players of that kind of profile will help us.

"We are in conversation with Edgar and his agent, and at this point that's all I can say. We are progressing and it is potentially exciting, of course, but we are not there yet. I think things will be taking place very shortly and not more than a couple of days."

Just nine days later, Mandaric confirmed that he had been unable to reach an agreement with Davids, and that the transfer pursuit was over.

 

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
The Edgar Davids saga was not the only time Mandaric tried to get a big name through the door at Leicester.

In 2007, while Martin Allen was manager, Mandaric tried to sign Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. In fact, it got so far that the former Chelsea striker was sat in the Marriott Hotel near Fosse Park with his representatives, ready to put pen to paper.

Allen was against the deal, however, and was reluctant to play an ageing Hasselbaink if he signed. Allen and Mandaric fell out over the signing and, ultimately, the deal fell through. Allen left Leicester a short while later.

 

Robert Lewandowski
In 2010, a young Polish striker by the name of Robert Lewandowski was causing a stir in his native Poland with Lech Poznan. Leicester scouted him extensively and Mandaric told local reporters he was pushing the boat out to convince Lewandowski to make the move to England.

The striker instead joined Borussia Dortmund in Germany that summer, opting for the dizzy heights of the Bundesliga over a Championship promotion push. Whatever happened to him?

 

Robbie Keane
In August 2011, it was reported by the Daily Mail that Tottenham striker Robbie Keane was "expected to sign" for City within 48 hours. Eriksson was chasing the striker after missing out on West Brom's Shane Long.

Keane was offered a two-year deal at City, it was said. But the striker, who was 31 at the time, had a late change of heart and instead opted for a move to the states with LA Galaxy. He joined Victoria Beckham in making the mistake of choosing LA over LC.

 

Robert Pires
Pires confirmed in the summer of 2010 that the club was interested in him. He reciprocated that interest.

"There 's a few big English teams chasing me. I'm told Leicester and Birmingham have made serious enquires. I still think I can play in the Premier League but the challenge of getting a team like Leicester promoted is very appealing, especially with maybe two seasons left in my legs," he said.

"If the right kind of club expresses an interest, I have no problem going over and doing a pre-season so they can have a closer look at me."

Pires, then 36, instead joined Aston Villa in the Premier League and made just nine appearances for the team. He was released at the end of the season and didn't play for another three years, until his brief stint in the Indian Super League with Goa in 2014.

 

 

  • Thanks 2
Wymsey

Wymsey

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, davieG said:

David Beckham
Sven-Goran Eriksson has admitted that he tried to sign David Beckham while managing Leicester City in 2010. The former Man United and Real Madrid was playing for LA Galaxy at the time, and did not immediately say no to the East Midlands. But when his wife Victoria chimed into the conversation, City's hopes of signing him were over.

Speaking on the Sacked in the Morning podcast last year, Eriksson said: “I asked him at a football event, and he was there with his wife. Before dinner we stood talking to each other.

“I was at Leicester at the time, so I said to him: ‘When your contract finishes in the United States, why don’t you come back to England, sign for Leicester and take us up to the Premier League?’

“He said: ‘Maybe, yeah,’ because he doesn’t want to say no. Then Victoria says: ‘Sven, can you see me in Leicester?’ I said: ‘Well, maybe not.’ Finished discussion about Leicester.”

Sven should've invited her to visit Fosse Park and the Highcross, as am sure she would've been swayed by moving easily then..:whistle:

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Miquel The Work Geordie

Miquel The Work Geordie

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Miroslav Klose at some point under Pearson? I don't know what year that would've been but I'd assume around 2014.

 

We were very close to signing Arkadiusz Milik on two separate occasions, once permo when he was in Poland and another time on loan (with a view to buy) when he wasn't being used at Leverkusen.

 

-----------

 

We also had some really bizarre trialists under Sven over the space of a few months.

- Erick Norales, a Honduran defender

- Bernard Parker, South African attacker

- Razak Omotoyossi, a Beninese attacker

 

Was like he was playing FM with a big database

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Stadt

Stadt

Posted
Posted (edited)
7 hours ago, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

Miroslav Klose at some point under Pearson? I don't know what year that would've been but I'd assume around 2014.

 

We were very close to signing Arkadiusz Milik on two separate occasions, once permo when he was in Poland and another time on loan (with a view to buy) when he wasn't being used at Leverkusen.

 

-----------

 

We also had some really bizarre trialists under Sven over the space of a few months.

- Erick Norales, a Honduran defender

- Bernard Parker, South African attacker

- Razak Omotoyossi, a Beninese attacker

 

Was like he was playing FM with a big database

Norales still on the plane now? 
 

 

Sensi was at Seagrave, medical, photos etc done.

Edited by Stadt
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Miquel The Work Geordie

Miquel The Work Geordie

Posted
Posted
Just now, fleckneymike said:

Didn’t we actually sign Jason McAteer under Micky Adam’s only for us to tear up the contract and he sign for Teanmere

 

Yeah McAteer was announced on the OS from memory, there was definitely a club statement confirming the signing

Wasyls Pec Deck

Wasyls Pec Deck

Posted
Posted (edited)

I applied for the managers job as a joke, I think when Rob Kelly got it.

 

I got a nice letter back saying no thanks, which I was surprised about because I had a dynamite track record with Leicester on various football manager games.

Edited by Wasyls Pec Deck
Footballwipe

Footballwipe

Posted
Posted
35 minutes ago, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

 

Yeah McAteer was announced on the OS from memory, there was definitely a club statement confirming the signing

Just what we needed that season as well, a player aged over 30 who'd seen his best days behind him...

 

"The 33-year-old midfielder, who was released by Sunderland, arrived at the Walkers Stadium yesterday to finalise a contract.

 

Manager Micky Adams said: "It is disappointing we have not been able to conclude a deal. Unfortunately, there was a last-minute hitch and sometimes these things happen in football."

 

McAteer said: "I am gutted really that things haven't worked out. Having spoken to the manager and seen the set-up at the club, I was really looking forward to becoming a Leicester player and helping them try to regain their Premiership status.""

 

11 minutes ago, fleckneymike said:

Plus some 7ft Chinese striker who was denied a work permit. 
 

This was when Dave Bassett was in charge. 
 

Zhang Yuning

"LEICESTER CITY manager Dave Bassett has confirmed that the club have failed in their bid to sign Chinese international striker Zhang Yuning, but he remains confident that he can seal a deal for Middlesbrough hitman Brian Deane.

 

Yuning has failed in his efforts to attain a work-permit to play in The Premiership and was currently appealing against the decision, but Bassett has pulled the plug on the deal altogether as he was unwilling to hang on any longer for the Asian striker.

 

Talking before Leicester's game with Everton, Bassett said: "The Yuning deal is Chop Suey, it is completely dead.

 

"In the end I felt it was all getting too complicated and it did not seem right.

 

"We learned that any decision over the work permit would take some time and I was thinking, hang on, it will soon be Christmas.

 

"There was also the fact that the player would need to go back to China for an international in March so eventually we decided to withdraw from the talks.

 

"That is not to say that we might not try and take him at another time but for the moment it is not going to happen.""

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urban fox

urban fox

Posted
Posted

Back in the seventies we had done a deal with Liverpool to sign John toshak.

Unfortunately the striker failed a medical and we pulled the plug on the deal. Toshak returned to anfield and scored a hattrick in his next game I believe.

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