Liverpool snubbed chance to sign Eric Cantona for infamous transfer flop instead
Eric Cantona is a Manchester United legend, yet things could have been very different but for the decision of Liverpool manager Graeme Souness.
Cantona arrived in England at Leeds in 1992 following a trial at Sheffield Wednesday and ended up at Old Trafford, where he became a mercurial hero under Sir Alex Ferguson. Those five eventful years at United came after he made a name for himself in his native France – both for his talent and his behaviour.
And it was ultimately the latter of those characteristics which saw Souness decide against taking the risk. The Liverpool boss was offered the chance to sign Cantona, but instead went for what he perceived to be the safer option of Istvan Kozma, who arrived from Dunfermline for £300,000 in February 1992.
Souness has since explained his thinking in rejecting Cantona. "I was manager of Liverpool and we played Auxerre in the cup winners' cup and we lost 2-0 away, we came back and beat them 3-0," Souness explained on The Football Show in 2020. "After the game, Terry Littlewood, who used to look after the players' lounge and my lounge, security-wise, knocked on my door and said there's a pal outside, he's a good friend of yours and he wants to speak to you.
"I said 'who is it?' and he said 'it's Michel Platini'. Not a close pal of mine, the only time I had come in contact with him was when I played against him when I was in Italy. He came in and said 'I've got a player for you, he's a real problem in France but he's really talented and he'd be perfect for your club'. I said 'look, Michel, I'm fighting fires here at the moment, I'm trying to get some people out of the door that are resisting, I'm fighting a dressing room here. The last thing I need is another controversial figure'.
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"Eric of course then came over on trial with Sheffield Wednesday, then signed for Leeds and the rest is history. When he went to United, it was a young team and young players need someone like that on the pitch to look up to. I think Eric was certainly one of them."
The story of Cantona at United is well-known – and the fact Kozma’s time at Liverpool is less well documented says a lot about how it went. The Hungary international only played 10 times for the Reds in the end, failing to make an impression at Anfield.
Istvan Kozma did not make an impression at Liverpool (Colorsport/Shutterstock)The midfielder made his debut as a second-half substitute in a goalless draw at Ipswich Town in the FA Cup fifth round before a forgettable first start in a 3-0 defeat by Norwich. His first three starts for the club saw Liverpool fail to score a single goal.
His crowning achievement came when he came on as a half-time substitute with the team 3-0 down against Chesterfield in the League Cup. To his credit, Kozma made a difference, setting up goals for Ronny Rosenthal and Mark Wright as Liverpool drew 4-4 in front of a measly crowd at Anfield.
He stuck around for the 1992/93 season, without getting into the team, and was forced to leave at the end of the campaign when his lack of appearances meant he wasn’t granted a work permit. Kozma went back to Hungary to play for Ujpest and had a stint in Cyprus with APOEL before seeing out his career in his homeland.
It wasn’t all bad. Although he didn’t play, Kozma was at Wembley for Liverpool’s FA Cup final win over Sunderland in May 1992 – and it made an impression on him. "It was still the old Wembley and a full house," he recalled in 2021.
"We were sitting behind the bench. The next day we went home to Liverpool, a huge celebration began. First we were taken around the city on an open double decker bus where a lot of scarves were thrown at us. It was a huge experience. I still keep a few of the things."
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