6 Dec 2016

Transfer Update: Legend confirms 'Liverpool' rejected chance to sign 'world-class' Man Utd hero

Ex-Reds boss Graeme Souness has confirmed that he rejected the chance to sign one of the Premier League's greatest ever players.

Speaking to the Daily Mail over the weekend, Souness recalled:

"Peter Schmeichel wrote to me when I was at Liverpool in the early 1990s...and was willing to pay his own travel and hotel in exchange for some time with us. I had just signed David James, so I thought I could do without it."

Souness has his dates mixed up a little here:

* Schmeichel signed for Man Utd in August 1991 (and he cost just £500k!)

* Souey signed David James in July 1992, almost a year later (at a cost of £1m).

Either way, this has to be one of the biggest transfer mistakes in Premier League history. Schmeichel wanted to sign for Liverpool, and the Reds sent straight into the arms of Manchester United. Souness further admitted:

"Michel Platini came to see me, and he said he had a player — a problem boy but a proper player. Cantona. I said the last thing I needed was another problem player."

Sickening. Whilst Liverpool crashed and burned under Souness (setting the tone for decades of Premier League failure), Cantona and Schmeichel became serial winners under Alex Ferguson, and were absolutely integral to the Man United's '90s success.

Meanwhile, Souness signed Torben Piechnik, Istvan Kozma, Paul Stewart, and Julian Dicks (whilst dumping Beardsley, McMahon, Houghton, and Staunton).

Just imagine if Cantona and Schmeichel had signed for Liverpool. Actually, don't, as thinking about such abject transfer failures will only lead to incomprehensible misery.

* Sep 2015: Described by Gary Neville as 'world-class'.


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