10 Players You Didn't Know West Ham Almost Signed
1. Didier Drogba
In this age of modern day football, with whispering agents and lucrative contracts, there are very few players that are hard to imagine wearing another English clubs shirt. With Drogba, the intimidating aura that is the Ivorian international, he might as well have the Chelsea crest stamped across his heart. Eight years he spent in London, toiling in earnest to create a legacy that would never be diminished. With his last ever swing of his trusty right peg in the famous blue colours, the Holy Grail of Champions League success was finally converted from Abramovichs 2003 dreams to reality.
Drogba has spoken of the love he has developed for the club, but was it really a match made in heaven? Just earlier this year, the Galatasary hitman admitted that the cross-city sisters of West Ham and Arsenal had made advances, before the lures of Mourinho and all that cash. While the story of Wenger trying to prise the Guingamp striker away for a measly £200,000 is quite common knowledge, not many people know that Glenn Roeder tried to sign him for a similar fee in 2002.
A West Ham scout at the time, it shouldnt be Mourinho accredited with the discovery of the former Marseille man, but Geordie Paul Montgomery. On a trip to watch Guingamps tricky winger by the name of Florent Malouda he notified their number nine has having an interesting presence.
''I marked him down as very interesting and watched his next four matches. In the fourth game, Guingamp were losing 2-0 to Lyon when the big man came on. He made and scored a goal to earn a draw. I thought, Ive got to get this guy to England. In my best Geordie French, I told him he would be a big player in England. - Paul Montgomery.
Drogba has since confirmed the story, stating that Montgomerys intervention had served as a massive boost to my confidence. The future Ivory Coast top-scorer swore to the Geordie scout that he would contemplate a transfer to London. However, West Ham were swiftly relegated without a fuss, and Marseille capitalised, signing Drogba to a long-term contract.
However, two years later, Drogba did indeed keep his promise just perhaps not in the way that Montgomery might have hoped.
Which other stars almost signed for West Ham? Share your own picks below in the comments thread.