Liverpool saw a number of transfers fail to materialise during Rafa Benitez's reign in the Anfield dugout.
Deals for the likes of Simao, Luis Figo, Dani Alves, David Silva and Gareth Barry all fell through under the Spaniard, with his frustration at the collapse of such deals forming part of his ongoing tensions with then-owner David Moores, his successors Tom Hicks and George Gillett and chief executive Rick Parry.
However, they weren't the only ones and they weren't all world class talents of the quality of Alves or Silva.
With Benitez working on a tight budget for much of his time on Merseyside, missing out on such targets ensured his two Champions League final squads pale in comparison to Jurgen Klopp 's European conquerers.
Djimi Traore and Milan Baros started in 2005 against AC Milan in Istanbul, while the likes of Josemi, Antonio Nunez and Igor Biscan all picked up winners' medals as unused substitutes.
Meanwhile, Jermaine Pennant and Bolo Zenden started in Athens two years later, with Mark Gonzalez and Craig Bellamy among the unused reserve options.
But there was another unlikely name that could have been part of Liverpool 's Champions League final squad in 2007 had he been not robbed of a dream move to Anfield the previous January.
Gary O'Neil.
Now 37-years-old, the veteran has finally realised his Liverpool dream, but as a coach at the Academy. He joins as Liverpool under-23 assistant manager to Barry Lewtas.
But during his playing career, O'Neil was on the books of Bolton Wanderers, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, West Ham United and Norwich City in the Premier League.
Coming through the youth ranks at Portsmouth, he joined Middlesbrough in August 2007.
But the midfielder has revealed how he had been on the verge of joining Liverpool only for a meddling agent to scupper the deal.
"Just before I left Portsmouth to go to Middlesbrough I had Liverpool (lined up) when Rafa Benitez was in charge," he revealed on TalkSPORT.
"I got a phone call off an agent I didn’t know saying “If you don't let me do it or us do it then it’s not going to happen”.
"I was like “I’ve been with my guy for ages, it’s all done”.
"I got a call off my agent a couple of days later saying they’d pulled it."
He continued: "I thought I was going there in the next window. I don’t know how real it was, whether my agent was pretending how real it was, I was only young at the time.
"I have never heard of him (the agent) since. I’d only spoken to my agent when we had the terms sent and it was all agreed.
"I thought I was nowhere near good enough or ready for this but thought let's roll with it and get better when I get there."
This article was first published on 22 August, 2019
