How many transfers could have changed the history of football if they'd gone a different way? I guess all of them technically but if one Manchester United legend had moved to Liverpool instead things might have been very different.
Has there been a recent transfer where a player hasn't been linked with just one club before moving? Neymar might have only been Paris bound this summer but in the past he'd been linked with Manchester United and even Real Madrid.
Around the two transfer windows obviously rumours intensify and no matter how far along a player is to being signed by one player you can all but guarantee that they'll be linked with at least one other team before their move.
In some reality Arsenal have been champions for the past six years with a team that has both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in it, along with Yaya Toure, N'Golo Kante and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Image: PA
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That means there's lots of alternative realities where all those players Arsene Wenger nearly signed actually moved to Arsenal, if you believe the alternate reality theory. So what does the reality where Edwin van der Sar signed for Liverpool look like?
Speaking to Four Four Two the legendary Dutch keeper revealed he held talks with the Reds in 1999:
"When I left Ajax in 1999, I travelled to Liverpool and spoke to (Liverpool manager Gerard) Houllier. I was shown around Anfield and also met with the chairman and a couple of the players.
"I thought about it, but when Juventus came to the table I came to the conclusion that it would be a bigger challenge to play in Italy."
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The Dutchman moved from Ajax to Juventus before joining the Premier League. Image: PA
The Dutchman obviously decided to move to Italy but it wasn't success that swayed his decision as both Juve and Liverpool had finished in seventh place in their respective leagues that season.
Of course the two time Champions League winner's future club United had just won the treble that season and lost Peter Schmeichel, eventually replacing him with Fabien Barthez in 2000.
Van der Sar's seminal United moment. Image: PA
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It wasn't really until 2005 that United finally felt like they'd replaced Schmeichel when Van der Sar joined from Fulham. He would go on to win the Premier League four times.
His most significant contribution was his save against Nicolas Anelka in the 2008 Champions League final, if he'd signed for Liverpool instead it never would have happened.
Featured Image Credit: Manutd.comTopics: Liverpool, Football News, Anfield, Football transfers, Manchester United, Netherlands, Old Trafford