---
title: "What if… Liverpool had signed Sheringham back in 1997?"
canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/articles/what-if-liverpool-had-signed-sheringham-back-in-1997/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Henry Jackson"
section: "Articles"
published: "2020-03-24T21:00:00Z"
modified: "2020-03-24T21:00:00Z"
---

# What if… Liverpool had signed Sheringham back in 1997?

Back in 1997, Liverpool had the opportunity to sign Teddy Sheringham from Tottenham, but they decided against it due to his age.

According to [The Athletic](https://theathletic.com/1681697/2020/03/24/spice-boys-liverpool-redknapp-scales-fowler-mcmanaman/)‘s Simon Hughes, the Reds had agreed personal terms with the then 31-year-old, only to pull out of a move at the eleventh hour.

Instead, Sheringham ended up signing for Manchester United, where he won a historic treble in 1998/99, scoring 46 goals in 153 appearances for Liverpool’s bitter rivals.

I’ve taken a look at how history could have panned out differently if Sheringham had become a Red, rather than a Red Devil.

### League Glory For The Reds?

Sheringham was a fantastic footballer – perhaps someone who has become underrated as the years have passed.

A player brimming with intelligence, the striker seemingly had eyes in the back of his head, linking up with others and scoring some memorable goals along the way.

Sheringham would have been perfect for Liverpool back in 1997, at a time when Robbie Fowler was still just about in his prime and Michael Owen was bursting onto the scene.

He could have been the ideal link between those two and the midfield, finding pockets of space, assisting his colleagues and using his vast experience to good use.

This was a player who had shone for England just one year earlier at Euro 96, forging a wonderful strike partnership with Alan Shearer.

That Liverpool team of the mid-to-late 1990s was so close to being title winners, but they lacked a few pieces.

Someone of Sheringham’s ilk could have been one of those pieces, and while they chose to sign an ageing but increasingly ineffective Karl-Heinz Reidle instead, the former Spurs man was about to prove his worth in Manchester.

I firmly believe that Sheringham would have made a huge difference in a title challenge, getting Liverpool over the finish line at some point and fitting perfectly into their style of play.

### United’s Treble Doesn’t Happen

That 1998/99 campaign was a painful one for anyone of a Liverpool persuasion as United cleaned up both domestically and in Europe.

As much as it hurts to admit it, they remain one of the best English sides of all time, with world-class quality and depth in abundance.

While Sheringham wasn’t necessarily in United ‘best’ XI – Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole were often the first-choice strikers – his influence was still big, showing exactly why Liverpool missed a trick not signing him.

To put it bluntly, without him around, Alex Ferguson’s men likely wouldn’t have won the treble.

It was his last-gasp equaliser in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich that looked set to take the game to extra-time, before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer popped up with a winner.

Meanwhile, he opened the scoring in the FA Cup final victory over Newcastle United, on a day when he was handed a rare start.

Sheringham remained at Old Trafford for a further two seasons, winning three titles in total, and also scooping the PFA Player of the Year award in 2000/01, at the age of 35.

That’s how good he was.

We will never fully know what would have happened to both Liverpool and United if that sliding doors moment had gone the other way.

History suggests that the Reds made a grave error not signing Sheringham, though, ironically aiding their rivals’ success in the process.