Was there any Premier League side that he didn't nearly sign for? It seems that in the wake of that incredulous bicycle kick against the English in the November 2012 friendly, every Tom, Dick and Harry has come forward with their own 'I knew him when' Zlatan story. He may be one of the best players in the world right now, excelled at some of the biggest clubs on the planet, and collected league titles like an array of stamps, but apparently there have been some very near misses preventing the Premier League the luxury of appreciating his talents on a weekly basis. There is that famous anecdote documenting his indignant response to the offer of a trial an 'audition' at Arsenal as a youth, but as a more established first-teamer at Ajax in the summer of 2002, there was a possibility that he could have been pulling on the famous red and white stripes of Sunderland. With club legend Niall Quinn having recently hung up his boots, Sunderland were in the market for another target man to replace him with. Former Sunderland boss Peter Reid has since admitted that there was only one man in his sights, as he lined up an offer for the player who would one day command £165 million in combined transfer fees.
''When he was at Ajax, I went to Amsterdam and offered £7 million for him. It was the second time I had tried to take him to Sunderland - we were also in for him when he was at Malmo. Imagine what a signing he would have been, everywhere he goes his team wins the league.'' - Peter Reid, November 2012.
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.
