10 Players You Didn’t Know Liverpool Almost Signed

2. Michael Owen

After realising that he was nearly out of tricks, the treacherous Michael Owen was dropped from Real Madrid and sought to return to football back in Britain, presumably because he had another horse he wanted to buy or a fine to pay at the Chester golf course. Actually, keeping to his usual trustworthy self, Owen had both a two-and-a-half hour meeting with Rafa Benitez (and bless Rafa for not dying of boredom) and a phone call with David Moyes about a move to Everton on the same day. Perhaps as a result of hearing about these conflicting meetings, or perhaps deciding that a brief chat was as much of Owen's magnetic personality that either manager could deal with, the striker wasn't welcomed into neither Anfield nor Goodison Park. Instead he hopped on his bike to St James' Park, drafted in under the rule of hilariously tragic chairman Freddy Shepherd who claimed "bringing Michael here will rank alongside the signing of Alan Shearer as my proudest moment at Newcastle." Needles to say, he was 100% incorrect.