Leeds United are just one of many teams who have had their fair share of near-misses in the transfer market previously.
In recent years, Leeds United have been interested in players like Josko Gvardiol, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Cody Gakpo previously.
None of them saw moves to Elland Road materialise in the end, but they are not alone in terms of a ‘what could have been’ switch to Leeds in years gone by. However, there have been even more high-profile near-misses.
One of those includes the time Duncan Ferguson almost joined Leeds over Rangers. The Scot had an excellent career in England with Everton in particular, but it could well have been Leeds instead.
Duncan Ferguson’s Leeds United and Rangers regret
Fan favourite Lee Chapman bid an emotional farewell to life at Elland Road in 1993, which was just a year after helping fire Howard Wilkinson’s side to the last-ever First Division title.
It left the Yorkshire giants under pressure to fill a sizeable void in their attacking unit. They turned to Ferguson but he went elsewhere.
Speaking to Gary Lineker, Ferguson outlined his regret in opting for the Scottish giants instead. He said: “I wanted to go to the Rangers. It was a bad move for me.
“I wasn’t ready, Gary. I just simply wasn’t ready. I wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t mentally strong enough, and it just didn’t go well for me.
“Obviously, I had injuries — which is part of the excuse. But I just wasn’t ready. They knew that.
“Walter [Smith] had been tapping me up for the previous 12 months, really.
“Leeds had just won the old first division before the Premier League. I was going to go there.
“But Rangers was the team I wanted to go to. I just wasn’t ready. Bad move. I was 20/21 at the time and I just couldn’t break in.
“And that’s a big regret for me. I just never gave myself a chance.”
Ferguson has explained his failed Leeds move further on The Overlap, and he admits he spoke to Leeds about a switch back in the early 90s.
Duncan Ferguson could have joined an illustrious list of Leeds United strikers
Leeds have had some of the most iconic No.9s of any club in English football. The likes of Allan Clarke lit up the 70s but Chapman, Tony Yeboah, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were deadly in the 90s.
Ferguson could have been a part of that but Leeds have a strong list of players since then as well. Mark Viduka arrived in the early 2000s but Jermaine Beckford, Luciano Becchio, Ross McCormack, and Chris Wood all had excellent records in West Yorkshire.
Ironically, Leeds could be after a centre-forward like Ferguson this summer. The current Premier League meta is very much having a physical striker who works hard, scores goals, and who can act as a bit of a battering ram; Leeds should acquire that in the upcoming transfer window.
