Former Everton defender Joleon Lescott opened up on a swap deal that could have seen Gareth Bale move to the Blues in place of Leighton Baines.
The Wales international confirmed his retirement from all football on Monday, ending a glittering career at just 33 years old. He enjoyed spells with Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid, as well a number of stellar performances for Wales on the international stage.
However, Bale's path could have been a very different one.
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Lescott spoke to Sky Sports and remembered a time when Bale was struggling in north London at the beginning of his spell with Spurs - with the defender having to wait two years for his first involvement in a Premier League win partly thanks to serious injuries.
But, looking back to a 1-0 win for Everton at Tottenham in 2008, the former Blues defender recalled an interaction he had with his teammate Baines.
The left-back came on as an 88th minute sub in the game, with Bale also coming off the bench earlier in the second half, and had a conversation with then-Spurs manager Harry Redknapp after the final whistle.
Lescott said: "I remember that time, it was around when he [Bale] was getting stick for his first 20 appearances or something like that ending in a loss!
"Coming in after the game Bainesy, who I was really close with, we were talking and Harry Redknapp wanted to swap them.
"He pulled Baines to one side, had a conversation with him, so I asked 'What was going on there?'
"He said they were interested in doing a swap for Bale.
"One of the main reasons that didn't happen was because Bale's record was so bad and David Moyes didn't want to swap."
Bale, of course, went on to become a hugely important player for Spurs over the coming years before securing a big money move to Real Madrid in 2013. Baines, meanwhile, stayed at Everton for the rest of his career - becoming an icon for the club before announcing his retirement from football this summer.
A version of this article was originally published in October 2020.
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