The multiverse of football: sliding door moments in Premier League history

Last Updated on 7 November 2025

Football is full of moments that never happened. Deals that collapsed, calls that weren’t made, and contracts that were never signed.

Yet behind every what if lies an alternate timeline where the Premier League looks completely different.

So, let’s step into the multiverse of football, and imagine how a few sliding door moments could’ve changed English football forever.

David Moyes signs Cesc Fabregas and Gareth Bale: Manchester United’s alternate empire

The year is 2013. Sir Alex Ferguson has retired. David Moyes has just inherited the keys to Old Trafford, and with them, a squad that’s still strong but in need of evolution.

Behind the scenes, Moyes makes contact with two targets: Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona and Gareth Bale from Tottenham.

In our universe, neither deal materialises. Fabregas eventually joins Chelsea, Bale goes the Spain, and United’s post-Fergie collapse begins.

But in the multiverse? United land both!

Suddenly, United’s midfield is reborn, Fabregas pulling strings, Carrick sweeping up, and Rooney feeding Bale on the break. In a Premier League between eras with Wenger fading, City under Manuel Pellegrini still inconsistent, and Chelsea in transition.

Moyes’ United could have dominated the mid-2010s. A couple of league titles before Pep Guardiola takes over across the park, but suddenly the job at Old Trafford is a lot more attractive than the Etihad…

Instead of scrapping for Europa League spots, Moyes becomes the steady hand guiding United’s next dynasty. Bale, Fabregas, and De Gea become the new spine of a team that bridges the gap between Ferguson’s past and what might have been the future.

Jose Mourinho joins Liverpool: The empire that never was

Picture this: it’s 2004, and Jose Mourinho has just conquered Europe with Porto. He’s bold, brilliant, and utterly convinced he’s destined for the Premier League. But in another timeline, he signs with Liverpool instead of Chelsea. In fact, even in our timeline, Liverpool tracked Jose down, as per the Guardian.

At first, the idea sounds strange, Mourinho in red, prowling Anfield’s touchline. But look closer, and it makes perfect sense. That Liverpool squad, full of grint featuring Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Xabi Alonso, was built for Mourinho’s tactical rigidity and emotional intensity.

Remember the way he helps Stamford Bridge become impregnable for years? Well, the Anfield is already a fortress and if it had someone like Mourinho heading it…the Premier League could’ve seen something unbelievable.

In this universe, Mourinho brings his ruthless mentality to Merseyside. Liverpool don’t win the Champions League in 2005, definitely no Istanbul miracle so no comeback of the century. But they do something else…they become serial winners.

With Mourinho’s drive and Gerrard’s leadership, Liverpool rival Manchester United in the mid-2000s. They push Ferguson’s United harder, deny Chelsea their rise, and maybe even start a title run cementing Anfield as the fortress of Europe’s most complete club.

Chelsea keep Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah: The 2010s are painted blue

The early 2010s were a strange time at Chelsea. Post-Drogba, pre-Hazard peak, full of potential but short on patience. In that chaos, two future Ballon d’Or candidates, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah, slipped through the cracks.

Now imagine if they hadn’t.

Picture the 2014–15 Chelsea squad with Hazard on the left, KdB in the middle, and Salah flying down the right. Add Diego Costa up front and Matic behind, suddenly you’ve got the most frightening front line in Europe.

De Bruyne’s vision and Salah’s vertical pace would’ve reshaped Chelsea’s style. The Blues would dominate the 2010s. Manchester City’s revolution might have been delayed, and Klopp’s Liverpool era would have looked very different.

Because in this timeline, Salah doesn’t go to Rome, Klopp doesn’t bring him at Anfield signing Julian Brandt instead and who knows how’d that turn out? The famous “heavy metal football” still arrives, but without the Egyptian King’s clinical edge, it never scales the same heights.

Chelsea, meanwhile, build their own dynasty defined by a golden generation of attacking brilliance.

Conclusion: Football the beautiful game defined by sliding doors

Football is chaos wrapped in coincidence. One fax sent too late, one call unanswered, one decision made differently, and the entire landscape shifts.

In another universe, David Moyes is a legend at Old Trafford, Mourinho is a Scouser, and Chelsea are football’s unstoppable juggernaut. But in this one, they’re just stories we tell…