Cast your mind back seven years ago, and David Beckham was preparing to do what most footballers never dream of doing as they entire their prime - leave Real Madrid. Taking away the fact that the former England captain was instrumental in the Spanish giant's triumphant La Liga success in his final season, Beckham was a coveted possession for any club in the world regardless of form. He was a commodity, a treasure, an investment that would be returned in shirt sales within the first week alone. When words were sounded from Beckham's camp that he would be seeking a new chapter in his life, heads were certainly turned. Sam Allardyce, ever the opportunist, disregarded the relatively small size of the club in relation to the player, or the competition they would face for his signature, and threw his hat into the ring.
''Bolton Wanderers would love to sign David Beckham, of course we would. In the past when that sort of name has been attached to this club, people considered it as something that was never going to happen. But cast your mind back to Youri Djorkaeff. People scoffed and said he would never come to play for Bolton but he came. We've attracted some fabulous players to this club.'' - Sam Allardyce, December 2006.
However, the pipe dream was crushed within a couple of months when the former Manchester United star announced that his next adventure lay in America, taking up the surprising option of a deal with LA Galaxy. The Trotters boss remained stoic.
''I was serious about bringing Beckham to Bolton because when it became clear he was available I hoped that he was keen on coming back to the Premiership. He is 31 now but all his stats suggest to me that he still a world class player and he would have been a major asset and influence both on and off the pitch at Bolton. The move would have probably paid for itself such is David's corporate influence within football but the fact was that the only Premiership club he would have come back to was Manchester United.'' - Sam Allardyce, May 2007.
Didn't Frank Lampard say a similar thing three months before he ended up bagging a goal against Chelsea for Manchester City? Maybe he just wasn't that into you, Big Sam...
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
