Just to give a bit of perspective to what this transfer may have meant to Leicester City, Cruyff was voted as the European player of the century in 1999 and won three Balon D'ors; only Lionel Messi has more. This is the kind of player that was so close to joining Leicester City and though he was thirty three at the time, there was little doubt that he could still perform at the very highest level. His list of both personal and team accolades meant that this sort of deal was almost unthinkable. As they are in the present day, Leicester were bottom of the old first division in 1981, needing some degree of divine intervention to (Cruyff) turn their fortunes around. A plan was in place to lure the Dutchman and it was all going well through three weeks of negotiations with the necessary finance being sourced from the anticipated increased attendances at Filbert Street. Although the deal at Leicester was being set up as a showcase for a transfer to Arsenal the following season, to have Cruyff play for City for any length of time would be a serious coup. However, Levante were lurking and ready to pinch the Dutch maestro at the last minute. Despite buzz in the city going in to overdrive, Cruyff was tempted by a lucrative deal from Levante where he would receive a cut of the gate receipts every game, among other perks. To come so close and miss out at the final hour was the final disappointment that a struggling Leicester side couldn't recover from, sealing their relegation that one single man from Holland could have saved them from. Which of these signings would you have most wanted at Leicester? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
