What happened to star signings your club never made?

In 2023, Tottenham Hotspur were linked with a potential signing of Nigerian striker Gift Orban, who was considered one of the hottest young talents at the time. On paper, fans of the club had every reason to be excited about the possibility of Orban leading the team to glory. In 2023, Orban was regarded as a hot prospect after scoring 16 goals in 22 games for Norwegian side Stabaek and 20 goals in 22 matches for Belgian club Gent.

In a four-day span in March 2023, Orban scored seven goals in two matches, including a hat-trick in just 3 minutes and 25 seconds, a record in UEFA club competitions. He was even considered a potential replacement for England captain Harry Kane, with the BBC Gossip Column even touting him as such. However, Tottenham's pursuit of Orban stalled due to the £25 million fee, and the transfer eventually fell through.

Since then, Orban has had four different clubs, with only three goals in 2023-24, three for Lyon and four for Hoffenheim. In contrast, other missed transfer targets have had vastly different outcomes. In 2009, Brazilian playmaker Kaka turned down a £108 million offer from Manchester City to stay with AC Milan, eventually moving to Real Madrid for £56 million in 2009 and winning multiple titles before returning to Brazil.

In 2004, Rivaldo, a 32-year-old Brazilian World Cup winner, was on the verge of joining Bolton Wanderers, who were aiming for a European debut. Rivaldo expressed his excitement about the challenge, but later turned down the move to join Greek side Olympiakos, where he stayed for three seasons. In 1995, Zinedine Zidane was offered to Blackburn Rovers by manager Sam Allardyce, who wanted to take the club to Europe.

Zidane, already a France international, had a change of heart and instead joined Juventus, where he won multiple titles and eventually played in three World Cups. Steven Gerrard, after leading Liverpool to a Champions League title in 2005, handed in a transfer request and eventually stayed with Liverpool, where he made over 700 appearances.