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This summer – as with any other summer – is expected to see some major transfers between the world’s biggest football clubs, and there are already plenty of rumours flying around about which players might move to different teams.
Two players who have been rumoured to be looking at moves are Harry Kane and Jack Grealish, of Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa respectively. Both men would undoubtedly command a huge transfer fee, and if they were to move, they’d also both be leaving their boyhood club.
Whether or not they do move is still up in the air, but if they instead choose to stick with their current surroundings, they wouldn’t be the first players to turn down big-money moves. Here are 5 other players who turned down moves to bigger clubs at the peak of their powers.
#1 Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard is remembered by Liverpool fans as one of the club’s all-time legends, as he captained the side for over a decade and led them to victories in the 2006 FA Cup, the 2012 EFL Cup and the 2005 UEFA Champions League. The midfielder’s loyalty to the Reds never seemed to waver, despite the fact that he was never able to get his hands on the Premier League title, the holy grail for the club.
However, the England international came extremely close to leaving Anfield in the summer of 2005, just weeks after captaining the Reds to their famous Champions League triumph over AC Milan in Istanbul. According to most sources, Gerrard was on the brink of making a move to Liverpool’s Premier League rivals Chelsea during that summer, only to renege at the last minute.
The midfielder has stated since in his autobiography that the potential transfer came about due to some tricky contract negotiations; Gerrard wanted an extension, while Liverpool showed little interest in a new deal as his current one still had two years to run.
Eventually, with talks at an impasse, Gerrard stunned the club by placing a transfer request, and Chelsea immediately swooped in with a £32m bid. The deal looked all but done and Reds fans even began to burn shirts with their captain’s name printed on them – only for Gerrard to suddenly perform an about-face and agree to stay, albeit with a new contract.
The star has since claimed that he never actually wanted to leave and only used Chelsea’s interest to force Liverpool’s hand in terms of a new contract, but either way, his decision meant that while he never won the Premier League, he will always be remembered as an Anfield legend.
#2 Francesco Totti
One of world football’s most renowned one-club men, Italian forward Francesco Totti joined Roma as a 13-year old and remained at the Stadio Olimpico until his retirement in 2017 at the age of 40, having won the Scudetto once and the Coppa Italia twice with the club.
At his peak, the Italian international was considered one of the best players in the world, and so it should come as no surprise that Europe’s giants were all interested in his services. One such potential suitor was Real Madrid, who made a move for Totti in the summer of 2001, at the peak of Los Blancos’ ‘Galactico’ era. At that point, the forward had just lifted the Scudetto with Roma and had been named Serie A’s Italian Footballer of the Year in the process.
Despite the old adage stating that nobody turns down a move to the Bernabeu, Totti did just that – reportedly stating that “they taught us in school that family is the most important thing. Did you ever hear of someone leaving his poor parents to live with rich strangers?”
Years later, Totti admitted that when he would see some of the players from that Real side, they would label him crazy for rejecting the club – but he never regretted his refusal to leave Roma. Former Roma coach Luciano Spalletti summed up the situation in another classic quote, stating that it would’ve been easier for Real to “move the Colosseum out of Rome” than to sign the forward.
#3 Matthew Le Tissier
One of the true cult heroes of the early Premier League era, Matthew Le Tissier joined Southampton as a teenager in the 1980’s and remained with the South Coast club for his entire professional career, only leaving after 16 seasons to join local non-league side Eastleigh. Over those seasons, Le Tissier made 540 appearances for the Saints, scoring 209 goals – many of them spectacular strikes that only added to his stellar reputation.
Despite his standing as one of the Premier League’s best forwards – it was often his goals that kept Southampton afloat in the top flight during the 1990’s – Le Tissier always steadfastly refused any move away from the Dell, with the general consensus being that he was happier at the South Coast club, who were content in building their team around him rather than allowing him to become another cog in the system.
The England international did come close to departing Southampton on a couple of occasions, though, and it’s tantalising to imagine what could’ve been for him if he had. Recent interviews have seen him reveal that he turned down a move to Tottenham – who he supported as a child – in 1990, choosing to sign a new deal with the Saints instead despite coming to an agreement with then-Spurs boss Terry Venables.
Le Tissier has also stated that he turned down moves to Liverpool and Chelsea as well – famously claiming that the bright lights of London would not have suited him as well as the quiet life on the South Coast did.
#4 Alan Shearer
Premier League legend Alan Shearer – who still holds the record for the most goals scored in the competition with 260 – famously turned down a chance to join Manchester United in the summer of 1996 (depending on who you believe) in favour of a move to his boyhood club Newcastle United, and so it should hardly come as a surprise to learn that the striker also turned down an equally huge move while he was playing for the Magpies.
The England international was supposed to be the final piece in Newcastle’s Premier League title push, but after manager Kevin Keegan resigned midway through his first campaign at St. James’ Park, things fell apart for the Magpies despite Shearer scoring 28 goals in 40 appearances, and the club ended the season trophyless.
It would’ve been understandable if Shearer had then pushed for a move away from the North East – and reportedly, he was given the chance, as Spanish giants Barcelona – then managed by future Newcastle boss Bobby Robson – reportedly made a move for the England striker, supposedly looking to sign him for £20m.
Shearer turned down the move, though – even stating so on Twitter in 2017 – and remained at St. James’ Park, where he went onto become their all-time record goalscorer with 206 goals in 405 appearances.
#5 Jamie Vardy
When Leicester City pulled off arguably the biggest upset in English football history by winning the Premier League title in the 2015-16 season, it felt like only a matter of time before the Foxes’ title-winning squad was picked apart by the vulture-like bigger clubs. Sure enough, within months of Leicester’s victory, midfielder N’Golo Kante was on his way to Chelsea for £32m, while star striker Jamie Vardy looked all set to join Arsenal.
The Gunners – who’d finished as runners-up to Leicester in that historic season – triggered Vardy’s release clause of £20m, and it looked like Arsene Wenger would be able to get the deal done before the start of that summer’s European Championship. But Vardy – who’d scored 24 goals for Leicester’s title-winners – decided to turn the move down and stay put at the King Power Stadium.
Reportedly, the England striker was concerned that Arsenal’s playing style under Wenger wouldn’t suit his own way of doing things, and he was also happy to attempt to build on what Leicester had achieved. He even stated that he’d never actually had any contact with Arsenal, as he’d been with the England squad at the time.
In the end, Vardy remained with the Foxes – and has continued to bang goals in for them on a regular basis, while Arsenal fans must’ve been left wondering what could’ve been.
