5 major January transfers that collapsed at the last minute

5. Charlie Adam – Blackpool to Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur (2011)

Charlie Adam's moves to Liverpool and Spurs fell apart on deadline day in 2011

Nobody really expected Scottish midfielder Charlie Adam to adapt as well as he did to Premier League life after being promoted with Blackpool in 2009-10, but after playing brilliantly in his first few months in the top flight, making it into the Premier League’s ‘Team of the Week’ on a couple of occasions, he suddenly became a man in demand.

Liverpool were the first club to make their interest in the Scotsman known, and when Adam got wind of this he quickly placed a transfer request in, but the Seasiders were determined not to sell the player who had become both their captain and key man. The Reds put in a £4.5m bid, but it was described as “disgraceful” by Blackpool boss Ian Holloway and quickly knocked back.

Adam was still determined to move though, and for a while it looked like his transfer to Anfield would happen; Liverpool made two further bids, one of £8.5m and one of £10m, but both were turned down by Blackpool, who were steadfast in demanding £14m for the midfielder.

Surprisingly, Tottenham also came close to landing Adam – and apparently had the deal all but done. Exactly how much they bid was unknown, but Spurs boss Harry Redknapp stated that the only thing stopping the move was the fact that Blackpool’s chairman couldn’t get hold of two shareholders to sign some paperwork.

Eventually the transfer window closed and Adam remained at Bloomfield Road – before moving to Liverpool in the summer of 2011 for a fee of £6.75m.