Birmingham City must always be haunted by £5m transfer miss - Harry Kane thought he ‘had everything’ | OneFootball

Birmingham City narrowly missed out on the signing of former Spurs and Belgium midfielder Mousa Dembele in the summer of 2010

Birmingham City were close to signing Mousa Dembele in the summer of 2010, but the Belgian midfielder ended up joining English rivals Fulham instead, and he would go on to become one of the Premier League's most underrated players of all time.

Fresh off the back of a 9th-place finish in the Premier League under Scottish boss Alex McLeish, Birmingham City were looking to add some quality reinforcements to their squad to build upon the previous year's success.

With a squad containing the likes of Cameron Jerome, Lee Bowyer, and Sebastian Larsson, Birmingham showed their ambition in the market by adding the likes of Nikola Zigic, Ben Foster, and Jean Beausejour to their ranks.

Although they were linked with a swoop which could have been a true game-changer for McLeish's men in the form of a 23-year-old Mousa Dembele, who was plying his trade in the Dutch Eredivisie with AZ Alkmaar.

A deal worth £5 million between the two clubs looked close to happening, with Dembele quoted by Birmingham Live as saying: "The Premier League is the strongest in the world. I know I can be successful in a big league. Birmingham City is the most concrete option but other clubs have also shown an interest.

"I have waited for more opportunities and now I have to look at the pros and the cons. I would like to decide by next week but in my head I have a preference."

Indeed, other clubs were interested, and Birmingham were made to rue not getting a deal over the line for the Belgian quickly enough.

Birmingham City narrowly missed out £5m Moussa Dembele transfer steal

With Birmingham unable to get a deal over the line for Dembele, Mark Hughes' Fulham side swooped in under Blues' noses to steal the Belgian's signature and bring him to London.

Fulham paid a £5 million fee for Dembele, who had scored 35 goals and grabbed 18 assists in 153 games across all competitions for AZ, and, at the time, he was known for his ability as a centre-forward, something which we wouldn't see much of in the Premier League.

Upon his arrival, Dembele immediately staked his claim for a spot in the Cottagers' side with an excellent cameo appearance off the bench against Manchester United, and would go on to grab two goals and two assists in his next two games against Blackpool and Wolves, of which he started both games.

Only an ankle and shin injury would hinder his game time in his first season in the English top flight, but his talent was evident, and after one more season at Craven Cottage, where he scored two and assisted two in 36 Premier League games, London rivals Tottenham Hotspur would swoop in for his signature, completing a £15 million deal for the Belgian.

Meanwhile, Birmingham would be relegated the same season in which Dembele signed for Fulham, and although they would defeat Arsenal in the final of the League Cup, it turned into a bitterly disappointing campaign for the Blues, who have not played Premier League football since.

The capture of Dembele could well have been the missing piece of the puzzle keeping them from the drop, and watching his trajectory since, they will always have major regrets not pipping Fulham to his signing.

Birmingham City were left with Moussa Dembele transfer regret - Harry Kane claim says it all

It has become somewhat of a meme in football fan culture that Dembele is one of the greatest midfielders the Premier League has ever seen due to the glowing praise he has often received from former teammates, and it doesn't go with merit.

The likes of Kieran Trippier, Harry Winks, Kyle Walker, Jermaine Defoe, and even Kevin de Bruyne have labelled him as the best player they have played alongside, which is no mean feat.

Even Harry Kane, who is widely regarded as one of the best strikers not just of his generation, but arguably of all time, named Dembele as the most technically gifted player he has ever played with.

In an interview on Sky Sports, Kane said, "I think in terms of technical, strength, power, he just had everything as a player. An incredible player.

"In training, obviously, we got to see it every day. [In] small-sided games, in possession, just how he dominated, and just how he controlled the ball and wouldn't let anyone get close to it."

The Belgian would go on to make 249 appearances across all competitions for Spurs, and although he would not win a trophy during his time with the club, coming closest during the 2015/16 season when they lost out to Leicester City to the Premier League title, his legacy as one of the league's best midfielders withstands the test of time.

In an era with the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, David Silva, Yaya Toure, and Cesc Fabregas, Dembele's career does not compare to the success that they found, but his talent level was close, if not on par with the majority of those.

Birmingham will always live to regret not getting this deal over the line, as what was Fulham's - and later Spurs' - gain was ultimately their loss.