Former Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City striker Michael Owen was the subject of two separate bids from Aston Villa a year apart under two different managers, and the club still managed to miss out on him. In 2009, Martin ONeill wanted the England international and offered him a two-year deal, but no deal materialised. A year later, ONeills successor Gerard Houllier made a bid to sign Owen, a player who he had managed at Liverpool, however, once again, Villa failed in their attempts to see the striker make the move to Villa Park. He might not have been the whirling dervish of a player he had been earlier in his career, but Owen proved at Manchester United that he was still an attacking threat. The Midlands club eventually "solved" their striker woes by signing Darren Bent for a whopping deal worth around £24M a year later. Which of these missed opportunities do you rue the most? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
Crippy Cooke, 23, is a freelance Football Writer contributing to What Culture. He's had work featured on Zoo, MSN, London 24, The Telegraph, The Huffington Post, and was recently named Writer of the Year on FTBpro - while also a nominee for Best Male Blog in the Football Blogging Awards.
