4) Gareth Bale
Liverpool were planning to secure a move for Gareth Bale way back in the mid 2000s when he broke into the Southampton squad. Bale was always thought to make it big someday and he couldn’t escape the eyes of then Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, who was particularly keen on signing the Welshman.
Former Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said: “Bale has come so far since making his way at Southampton. When he broke into their team, Rafa Benitez looked at signing him for Liverpool.”
“Bale was playing as a left back then and Rafa didn't think he was any better than John Arne Riise, so he never pursued it. Clearly the Bale that Benitez now manages is a completely different prospect,” He said when comparing the Bale from Southampton to the Bale from Real Madrid.
Had Liverpool signed Gareth Bale from Southampton back then, we would most likely have had a very different Bale compared to the one which former Tottenham Hotspur coach Harry Redknapp molded the Welshman into.
