Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has revealed that he was very close to taking charge at Sheffield Wednesday back in 1998.

The 72-year-old has had a phenomenal career in the game, with highlights including taking charge of the French national team and helping Liverpool to domestic and European glory.

He arrived at Anfield in 1998 and during a six-year spell in the North West, helped the Reds win the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup, and UEFA Super Cup.

It appears, however, that it could all have been different as the Frenchman was very close to taking charge of a club across the Pennines in Sheffield instead.

In an interview in Tom Whitworth's book 'Sheffield Wednesday: Through the Modern Era, Houllier revealed that he nearly joined the Owls after they'd sacked Ron Atkinson in 1998.

He said (via Yorkshire Live): "I knew the club and I knew some of the players. And I had a good relationship with Dave Richards.

"He was very keen to sign me.

"I explained a few ideas of how I wanted the team to play and things like that and I had a good feeling about what we could do at Sheffield Wednesday.

"I practically gave my agreement to join."

It appears that disagreements over a "divorce clause" were what stopped the appointment from happening.

Houllier explained: "This was where if the club for one reason or another had to sack me, they would pay me a certain amount of money.

"I'd never been sacked in my life, but things don't always go your way and sometimes a club has to take a decision.

"So I just wanted protection for myself.

"Dave Richards was very good about this part of the negotiations and told me that their lawyer would get in touch to agree the sum of the clause.

"The lawyer came to me, it took him some time to do so, and I said I wanted this amount of money.

"It wasn't even a year's contract. But he said, 'It's too much. Can you lower it?' 'No,' I said."

Wednesday went for Danny Wilson instead but it proved a poor choice as they were relegated from the top flight of English football two years later.

The Owls have not been able to make it back to the Premier League since.

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The Verdict

It is crazy to think that Houllier could've joined the Owls and not Liverpool but it appears the deal was very close to getting done.

Given his success at Liverpool, Wednesday fans will likely be looking back at the decision and thinking 'what if'.

Earlier in the season, it looked as if the Owls may have a chance of returning to the top flight in the current campaign but a slump in form has seen those hopes all but evaporate.