Source: Daily_Mail
Missing out on Maradona and Shear frustration for Manchester United! Sportsmail's guide to the ones
Arsene Wenger's decision not to sign Didier Drogba for £100,000 from Le Mans came back to haunt the Arsenal manager on Saturday. [LNB]The striker scored Chelsea's winner in the FA Cup semi-final, knocking the Gunners out of the competition. [LNB]It was Drogba's eighth goal in nine games against Arsenal since he joined the Blues for £24million in 2004. [LNB]But Wenger was not the first manager, and won't be the last, to miss out in the transfer market. [LNB]Even the best bosses make the odd howler, letting genuine talent slip through their fingers. [LNB]Here is Sportsmail's guide to the ones that got away. [LNB]Diego Maradona Sheffield United boss Harry Haslam spotted a 17-year-old Maradona in action in 1978, but the club could not afford the Argentinan's £200,000 price tag. [LNB][LNB][LNB] Legend: Maradona terrorised England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico[LNB]United bought River Plate's Alex Sabella instead for a club record £160,000, but the midfielder's contributions did not prevent the Blades' relegation to the Third Division in 1979. [LNB]Sabella was sold to Leeds for £400,000 in 1980 and as for Maradona, well, he didn't too badly, either. [LNB]Peter Beardsley Beardsley played just one game for Manchester United, in the League Cup against Bournemouth, as a 21-year-old in 1982. [LNB]The Old Trafford side obviously weren't that impressed with him, as they allowed the future England international to return to the Vancouver Whitecaps in March 1983. [LNB]Four years later Beardsley was winning plaudits at Newcastle United and caught the eye of new Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson. [LNB]But Ferguson thought Beardsley's £3m asking price inflated and was understandably peeved when the player joined Liverpool for £1.9m in July that year.[LNB][LNB][LNB] United target: Beardsley[LNB]United hero: Cantona[LNB] Eric Cantona King Eric was more than a little perturbed when Sheffield Wednesday boss Trevor Francis made him endure the ignominy of a trial in January 1992. [LNB]The bad weather meant the run-around had to take place indoors and Francis insisted he wanted to see Cantona play outside before he would sign him. [LNB]Cantona did not wait that long and flounced off, joining Leeds instead. [LNB]The player who went on to become a Manchester United legend could also have signed for Liverpool in 1991. [LNB]Michel Platini apparently told Graeme Souness that Cantona was available, but the Reds boss said he wasn't interested in 'problem players'. [LNB]Souness later said: 'Michel Platini said he had a player for me, a player who'd had some problems back in France but who would love to come and play for Liverpool.[LNB] 'That player was Eric Cantona. But at that time we didn't really need any more problems, so that was one that got away.' [LNB]Something of an understatement, you might say... [LNB]Raul The Real Madrid star was released by Atletico Madrid in 1992. The club apparently thought the striker was too small and weak to make it as a professional. [LNB][LNB][LNB] Raul Madrid: The striker is Mr Bernabeu[LNB]How wrong they were. Raul joined the Bernebeu club and was in the first team two years later. [LNB]Ra?onz?z Blanco has gone on to make the number seven shirt his own and is Real Madrid's all-time leading scorer. [LNB]Alan Shearer Alex Ferguson wanted to sign Shearer in 1992, when the striker was a fresh-faced forward with Southampton. [LNB]Manchester United, however, could not match Blackburn's £3.6m offer, a British transfer record at the time, and signed Eric Cantona instead. [LNB][LNB][LNB] Local hero: Shearer is back at his beloved Newcastle as tempoary boss[LNB]The Frenchman was far from a poor understudy, but Ferguson did not give up on Shearer and tried to sign him again in 1996. [LNB]The striker turned his back on the Premier League champions and joined his hometown club, Newcastle United, for a world record £15m. [LNB]He went on to become a Magpies legend, scoring 206 goals to become their most prolific striker of all time. [LNB]David Beckham Leytonstone-born Becks grew up a stone's throw from Upton Park and was on West Ham's books as a school boy. [LNB][LNB][LNB] Hammer blow: Beckham always had his heart set on joining Manchester United[LNB]But the future England captain was always a Manchester United fan and moved north to sign apprentice forms with the club in July 1991. [LNB]Five years later, a 57-yard strike against Wimbledon announced Beckham to the world. Brand Beckham was on its way. [LNB]Paul Gascoigne Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted failing to sign Gazza in 1987 is the biggest regret of his career.[LNB][LNB][LNB] Different path: Gazza could have made his mark at Old Trafford[LNB]The Manchester United boss said: 'We spoke to him the night before I went on holiday. He says "Go and enjoy yourself Mr Ferguson, I'll be signing for Manchester United". [LNB]'So I went on my holidays but Martin Edwards (then chairman) rang and said, "I've got some bad news - he signed for Tottenham. They bought a house for his mother and father in the north east and that swung it". [LNB]Graeme Souness A 15-year-old Souness signed professional forms with Spurs in 1968 but was sold to Second Division Middlesbrough in December 1972 for just £30,000. [LNB]The future Liverpool midfield hard man had suffered terrible home sickness, so Tottenham let him go. [LNB]Spurs' loss was Liverpool's gain - Bob Paisley signed Souness for just £325,000 in January 1978. [LNB][LNB][LNB] Scot the lot: Souness[LNB]Wright stuff: Gunners favourite[LNB] Ian Wright Harry Redknapp watched a non-league game in 1986 and spotted Carl Richards playing for Enfield. [LNB]He offered the striker £220-a-week and signed him for Bournemouth.[LNB]Redknapp, however, failed to notice the talent of a young striker called Ian Wright, who was playing alongside Richards. [LNB]Wright went on to become an Arsenal legend. [LNB]Wayne Rooney Peter Kenyon, Chelsea's chief executive, reportedly persuaded Roman Abramovich to think again about bidding for the talented teenager, then with Everton. [LNB]The Russian oligarch held off and Rooney joined Manchester United, becoming the world's most expensive teenage footballer. [LNB][LNB][LNB] Wayne's world: Rooney could have ended up at Chelsea instead of Old Trafford[LNB] VIDEO SPECIAL: Don't worry Berbatov, here are five penalties that were even worse than the United flop's FA Cup missTHE LIST: Nos 50-41 of the greatest ever Manchester United playersArsenal 1 Chelsea 2: Drogba's journey reaches the final stopMan Utd 0 Everton 0: Jagielka wins penalty lottery after Riley ignores tripMIDDLESBROUGH FC
