REWRITING HISTORY: Transfer deals that got away…What if Robert Lewandowski, Zinedine Zidane and Neymar had come to the Premier League?

James Matthews looks at some Premier League transfers that fell through and wonders what might have been if several of the world’s biggest names had come to England.

The week ahead will see plenty of scrambling by Premier League to get deals across the line as the January transfer window prepares to slam shut.

And the 20 clubs will be hoping they don’t miss out on a real gem…just as happened previously when deals to bring Robert Lewandowski, Zinedine Zidane and Neymar all failed to come off for one bizarre reason or another.

We have taken a look at some that got away and ask - would these now household names have been a Premier League success?

1. Robert Lewandowski and Zinedine Zidane to Blackburn Rovers

It wasn’t at the same time, but Blackburn were close to striking deals to sign both these world stars. Zidane was set to join the club during their days at the top of the Premier League in the 1990s, while Lewandowski was in the frame in 2010…but neither happened.

A 22-year-old with Bordeaux, Zidane was offered to reigning Premier League champions Blackburn in 1995 and manager Ray Hartford was particularly keen on completing the deal. Sadly owner Jack Walker thought differently: “Why do you want to sign Zidane when we’ve got (Tim) Sherwood?” he was reportedly quoted as saying.

Zidane, of course, went on to become the world’s greatest player with Juventus and Real Madrid and a World Cup winner in 1998 and a European Champion two years later with France. Sherwood remained a Blackburn stalwart but three international caps for England in his career underlined the vast difference between the pair.

Perhaps had Walker, who achieved his dream in seeing Blackburn crowned champions, opted to sign Zidane, Blackburn’s fairytale charge to the top of the Premier League would have last longer than the single season. Given what he went on to achieve, you’d have to think so.

A Zidane-less Rovers were relegated from the Premier League in 1999, four years after being crowned champions, and spent two seasons in the second tier. Promotion followed in 2001, but Blackburn have never been the same force since, spending 11 consecutive seasons in the top flight before becoming a Championship side these last four years.

It was in 2010 that another near-miss happened in the transfer market. Sam Allardyce was keen to sign a little-known striker from Poland and he was due to arrive in the north-west for talks over a move from Lech Poznan.

Mother Nature had other ideas, though, as the giant ash cloud from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano grounded flights across Europe. Lewandowski was not immune and the deal was halted with the Polish international unable to undergo a medical.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Borussia Dortmund took their opportunity, signed Lewandowski and turned him into a household name. Bayern Munich beckoned and he is now regularly linked with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal…so perhaps the Premier League will get to be his stage yet.

Blackburn failed to find an alternative to help steer them into the upper echelons of the Premier League - Nikola Kalinic, Jason Roberts, Benni McCarthy, Benjani and Yakubu among those to try - and relegation ensued in 2012.

But for Eyjafjallajokull, Rovers may well be still in the Premier League with a world class striker in their line-up.

2. Neymar to West Ham

Neymar, the star of Barcelona and Brazil, could have been donning claret and blue. Back in 2010 when Avram Grant was managing the Hammers, they trumped Manchester City and Real Madrid to launch the first bid to sign teenager Neymar.

A £16 million offer was made to Santos, who seriously considered it before insisting it be upped to £28 million. West Ham baulked and allowed the deal to collapse.

Barcelona stepped in and paid £50 million for the Brazilian, while West Ham instead signed Demba Ba and Frederic Piquionne. It backfired badly as the Hammers were relegated from the Premier League that very season.

Spending that extra £12 million would probably have saved the club a small fortune in the long run.

Sam Allardyce replaced Grant and restored West Ham to the top flight immediately and they’re a firm fixture of the Premier League again, but the transfer activity has never seen a player of Neymar’s calibre come close to Upton Park since.

Neymar’s long-lasting partnership could have been with Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia instead of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. His loss.

3. Roberto Carlos to Aston Villa

Remember that Brazilian left-back who would never make it? That would be Roberto Carlos…not good enough for Aston Villa.

An up-and-coming Carlos was wanted by Aston Villa boss Brian Little back in the 1990s, and he managed to organise talks over a deal to sign the Brazilian by convincing him to head to Villa Park.

That was until Doug Ellis showed his ruthless streak and pulled the plug on the deal, reportedly declaring: “He would never make it in England.”

Carlos was also on the verge of signing for Middlesbrough, but instead joined Inter Milan before becoming the world’s best left-back at Real Madrid.

Villa, as much as they have been a firm fixture in the Premier League, can’t claim to have had the kind of success that Carlos enjoyed.

Instead of Carlos, it was Alan Wright, Steve Staunton, Jlloyd Samuel, Nicky Shorey, Joe Bennett, Kieran Richardson among the names who donned the number three jersey.

Would Villa have been successful with Carlos?

Well, they probably wouldn’t have fared any worse and wouldn’t be staring the Championship in the face right now. Class attracts class, and this was one of Deadly Doug’s worst decisions…