The exaggerated hoopla over transfer deadline might be a bit too much, but we get excited about it because of one simple truth: transfers are game-changers. A goal poacher, a box-to-box midfielder, a body-on-the-line defensive stopper, they can all alter the course of a season. They can turn nearly-men to title contenders, and make relegation certainties into escape artists. But sometimes it's not the transfers that actually happen that excite - it's the could-have-beens, the never-weres, the ones that got away that tantalise us the most. Some of the stories behind these almost-signings are eyebrow raising, but they're all true. In an alternate universe somewhere Gazza wore the red of United, Ibra was performing scissor kicks at Highbury and Kenny Dalglish was a Hammers legend. Imagine what English football would look like today if these amazing transfers had actually happened.
David is an office drone and freelance writer for WhatCulture and Moviepilot, among others. He's also foolishly writing a serialised novel on Jukepop and has his own irregularly updated website. He's available for freelance work. Reach out on Twitter to @davefox990
