In 2005, Leeds United were in hot putsuit of Kieran Dyer, but when it became apparent he was instead going to stay with Newcastle United, Leeds switched their targets and pinpointed Mark van Bommel as the man they wanted to run their midfield. Van Bommel was at PSV Eindhoven at the time, and was a linchpin in the Dutch club's side, and United saw him as the perfect foil for Lee Bowyer. Leeds were all set to make a £15 million bid for Van Bommel, with chairman Peter Ridsdale keen to splash the cash in a bid to get the club back to the top of English football. The move never came to fruition however, and Van Bommel ended up joining Spanish giants Barcelona instead, before moving on to the likes of Bayern Munich and AC Milan, leaving United fans wondering wistfully what might have been.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
