10 Players You Didn't Know West Ham Almost Signed
4. Neymar
One of the most marketable players in world football, and an immensely talented boy to boot, Neymar had understandably and predictably linked with a host of top clubs before his £45 million transfer to Catalan giants Barcelona. The agent of the revered Brazilian icon recently admitted that Juventus were on the cusp of his signature in 2011, while the 22 year old himself stated that with the advice of Pele, he turned down the advances of Chelsea in 2010, and that he has been continuously pestered by the ensnaring clutches of Real Madrid since 2006. However, the club who made the first big-money bid for the South American prodigy, were the same Londoners who came from nowhere to trump the elite to the signatures of Tevez and Mascherano in 2006.
Striking before the iron was hot, they launched a £16 million bid during the previous World Cup realising just how much the 'boy wonder' could be worth during the tournament on home soil in four years time. Back then, the then-18 year old forward was drawing comparisons with Pele, dazzling defenders across Brazil, for his hometown Santos.
However, was the deal ever really that close? When Robinho was allowed to link up with the likes of Neymar at Santos in 2010 on loan, Manchester City inserted a clause into the contract whereby they would be granted first refusal on the Brazilian clubs prized asset. Roman Abramovich was seemingly hell-bent on not missing out on another South American superstar to his inferior cross-city counterparts, and Santos were vehement in their refusal to do business for anything less than his £28.4 million release clause.
It would have been quite the story if Neymar rocked up at Upton Park however. One of the most fascinating sights in football would have been watching Sam Allardyce have the immensely talented Brazilian thrust upon him, with players of such flair and creativity well outside his area of expertise.
Thankfully, we will never have to see the tortuous sight of Neymar heading the ball out of his own box at corners, or struggling to knock the ball down for Kevin Nolan. His talents deserved so much more.