"We didn't end up like Leeds" - Aston Villa fans react to £1.5m Brazil legend transfer blunder

Aston Villa transfer reaction | Graham Taylor identified the midfielder as a transfer target

Aston Villa found themselves in a position to sign World Cup winner Gilberto Silva for a cut-price fee in 2002 - until then owner Doug Ellis pulled the plug on the deal.

The late Ellis refused to offer over £1.5m for the player, who went to Arsenal for three times that amount.

A  High Court document  reveals how representatives of Silva's club,  Atletico Mineiro had met with Arsenal and vice-chairman David Dein on July 3 and Villa on July 4.

At the Villa Park meeting, the reps met with chairman Ellis and then-manager , the late Graham Taylor, who had identified Silva as a target during the 2002 World Cup, and had been advised that his price tag would set Ellis back around £6 million.

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However, chairman Ellis, was unwilling to go over £1.5million for Gilberto and, after frank talks in B6, no formal bid was ever made by Villa.

The report states: "Kalil and Guimaraes felt that the meeting had been a waste of time; that all that had happened was they had exchanged pleasantries and had been given a tour of Aston Villa's impressive stadium."

Arsenal swooped in shortly afterwards, and the rest is history. Villa also missed out on both Juninho and Roberto Carlos, before finally bringing two Brazilian players into the club in 2019 - Douglas Luiz and Wesley Moraes.

Here's what Villa fans made of the club's historic non-deal.

"Just because one player went onto success at another team does not mean he would have been the same player for the Villa..."

"Well....all of that very much sucks!"

"You think of the players Villa and Spurs could have signed and football history could have been different."

"Everytime. Typical Villa."

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"I knew we were in for Ljungberg and Bergkamp before they both ended up at Arsenal. We’ve missed out on some great players..."

"Villa as corner shop under Ellis vol 4376..."

"He'd have signed for Arsenal anyway."

"Doug made sure we didn't end up like Leeds... He was a businessman."