Sometimes, Blackburn's deals can be scuppered without the need for human intervention. Arguably one of the current best number nines in world football, Robert Lewandowski made a move to Bayern Munich this summer, but could have done so less controversially had he used Rovers as a stepping stone instead of Borussia Dortmund. After netting 32 goals in 58 games for Lech Poznan in his native country of Poland, Lewandowski was gaining interest from the rest of Europe, with Premier League, Bundesliga and Serie A clubs touted to be interested in the instinctive forward. Keen to beat competing teams to the deal, Sam Allardyce invited the 21-year-old to observe a match versus Everton - before unforeseen circumstances stalled dialogue somewhat. Due to ash clouds excreted by Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano, flights were cancelled, making it all-but-impossible for the Poznan man to travel to England to visit his potential suitors. Dortmund swooped in, with plenty of clubs reluctant to pay above £5 million for Lewandowski's services, leading to the Pole proving to be a shrewd investment and a fantastically talented serviceman to Die Schwarzgelben's Bundesliga and Champions League exploits over recent seasons. In a direct system, focused heavily on bringing his strikers into play in the opposition penalty area, it certainly would have been interesting to see how the ex-Znicz Pruszkow forward fared under Allardyce, who clearly had faith in his Polish prospect. Which other near miss signings belong on this list? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
