10 Players You Didn't Know Aston Villa Almost Signed
9. Sergio Canales
Former Real Madrid attacking-midfielder Sergio Canales was linked with a move to Aston Villa back in 2011, according to the Mirror. Then-manager Alex McLeish was locked in an attempt to find a replacement for Ashley Young who was heading to Manchester United after an impressive spell at the club, and had pulled ahead in the race to procure the Spaniards signature, despite the likes of Valencia, Everton, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal offering stiff competition. Villa missed out in the end, and Canales ultimately went on to spend a campaign on loan with Valencia, before signing on a permanent deal in 2012. The Midlands side signed Charles NZogbia instead, but the French international endured a testing time at Villa Park, making just 60 appearances and scoring five goals in the three years that he's "graced" Villa Park. What could have been....
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.
