SAKA, ANTONY AND 10 PREMIER LEAGUE STARS HEADING TO THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP
In many cases, a club will be able to tell you about a player or two who they missed out on, before they went on to become world-class.
In fact, Arsene Wenger could probably talk for hours about his own failed pursuits, having admitted to nearly signing Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to name a few – the Daily Mail can reveal a few more.
In Crystal Palace’s case, they too have their fair share of transfer woes.
Here are three world-class players the Eagles narrowly missed out on…
Harry Kane
Yep, Crystal Palace could’ve signed the man who now boasts 201 goals in 301 games for Tottenham, as well as a World Cup Golden Boot.
Neil Warnock admitted that the south Londoners felt they had a chance of signing Kane on loan, but his participation in Spurs’ Europa League campaign ruled out his exit chances according to the BBC.
Virgil van Dijk
Again admitted by Warnock, the Eagles could’ve signed the reigning European Player of the Year and arguably one of the best centre-backs of all-time.
However, Palace’s chief scout felt the Champions League-winning Dutchman was too slow, and blocked Warnock from completing a £6 million move for Van Dijk in 2014 while he was at Celtic, according to the Independent.
Alphonso Davies
One of the hottest left-backs in world football right now in Alphonso Davies could’ve been a Palace player, as Steve Parish admitted to the Daily Mail.
The Canadian flyer was noticed by Parish’s Vancouver-based sister, who emailed him to recommend the Eagles pursue Davies’ signature.
However, Palace couldn’t get a work permit sorted and the 20-year-old eventually moved to Bayern Munich, where he’s just become a Champions League winner.
