Southend United boss Phil Brown recalls when he almost signed Manchester City striker Alavro Negredo for Hull City.
Negredo was still at Real Madrid at the time.
"It would have been a massive coup if we had got him," Brown told the Daily Express. "He was going nowhere at the time and we were trying to uncover little gems. The chairman, Paul Duffen, went to the Bernabeu and we had a deal set up.
"You look at Negredo now and he is on fire. When you look at forwards like that, you are looking for technical ability. But the bottom line is they have to be able to put up with the rigours of the Premier League. Negredo is made for it."
