10 Biggest Premier League Transfers That Nearly Happened

In the summer of 2013, having seen off interest from Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur looked to have a £30 million deal for Anzhi winger Willian done and dusted.

Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas had the unenviable task of replacing their talisman Gareth Bale, who had just been sold to Real Madrid for a club record fee. But with around £90 million to spend, the signing of Willian for a third of that would have been a successful start to their summer recruitment campaign.

However, before the deal could be completed, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich would personally intervene, ensuring that the Russian club sold to Chelsea instead. This left Spurs rightly furious, who accused Chelsea of signing the Brazilian purely to prevent him moving to North London instead.

Willian has won two Premier League titles in his three seasons in England. He was also Chelsea' standout player during their disastrous 2015-16 campaign. It would be fair to say that the player himself has no regrets, and neither will Chelsea.