Stoke City once missed out on £0 Bolton bargain - He became a Chelsea hero

Stoke City missed out on the free transfer of Marcos Alonso from Bolton in 2013, before the Spaniard would become a Chelsea hero

Back in the 2012/13 season, Stoke City found themselves once again fighting to break into the top half of the Premier League under Tony Pulis, and as the January window rolled around, the Welsh boss was looking to complete some important business after enduring a difficult run of results.

The 2012/13 campaign was Stoke's fifth consecutive in the Premier League at that point and seventh under Pulis, but by the time winter rolled around, the Potters found themselves in a bit of a slump, and in need of some fresh blood.

Jack Butland arrived from Birmingham City to become Asmir Begovic's understudy, whilst American winger Brek Shea arrived from MLS outfit FC Dallas, but Pulis wasn't quite done there.

Left-back Marc Wilson broke his fibula in October, leaving the club without a recognised backup in that position, as Pulis looked to find the solution to his problem by delving into the Championship.

Stoke City were interested in signing Marcos Alonso from Bolton Wanderers in January 2013

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According to The Mirror, Stoke were interested in signing then-Bolton Wanderers left-back Marcos Alonso late into the January window, with the Spaniard sticking around in Greater Manchester following the Trotters' relegation to the second tier.

The Potters were reportedly ready to make a bargain £600,000 swoop for the left-back, who at the time had just six months remaining on his current deal, but faced intense competition from Italian outfit Fiorentina.

The Spaniard had been offered a deal worth £25k per week to make the move to Florence on a pre-contract, forcing Stoke into a precarious position where they had to one-up that deal to lure him to the Potteries.

As it happened, the Real Madrid academy graduate rebuffed Stoke's advances and chose to see out the next six months of his deal with Bolton before heading to Italy, something which the Potters would surely go on to regret.

Marcos Alonso would join Fiorentina on a pre-contract deal instead, as Stoke City missed out

Alonso would make 26 appearances for Bolton in the Championship, scoring four and assisting two before joining Fiorentina on a free transfer after running down his contract with the Trotters.

However, he initially struggled to break into La Viola's side, and after just six months, he would be on a flight back to England to the red and white of Sunderland, going on to make 16 appearances in the Premier League for the Black Cats.

Upon his return to Italy, Alonso made sure to grasp the opportunity with both hands, becoming a key figure for the Tuscany-based side over the next couple of seasons.

After five goals and seven assists in 85 appearances across all competitions in Florence, Alonso, for the third time in his career, would be on his way back to England. However, this move was far more significant than either of the previous two.

Marcos Alonso would go on to become a Chelsea hero after Fiorentina and Sunderland spells at Stoke City's regret

Chelsea, fresh after appointing Antonio Conte, were in the market for two maurauding wing-backs, and set their sights on Fiorentina's Alonso to become their starting left wing-back, agreeing a fee worth around £23 million to bring the former Bolton and Sunderland defender to West London on a five-year deal.

This move certainly raised more than a few eyebrows at the time, but it didn't take long for people to understand why the Blues had spent so much bringing the Spaniard in.

Chelsea had initially started the season in a 4-2-3-1 shape, but after a few poor results, Conte switched to a 3-4-2-1 shape in a bid to get the best out of wing-backs Alonso and Victor Moses, and after a 2-0 win away against Hull City, never looked back.

The Blues would win 15 of their next 16 league games, propelling themselves into title contention, and eventually lifting the Premier League trophy, with Alonso scoring six and assisting three in 31 league games in his debut campaign.

Thereafter, the Spaniard would spend the next five years starring at Stamford Bridge, lifting a Europa League, Champions League, Club World Cup, FA Cup, and Super Cup with the Blues, scoring 29 and assisting 21 in 212 appearances across all competitions during his time with the club.

Tony Pulis would leave Stoke City six months after missing out on Marcos Alonso

Stoke would eventually finish 13th in the Premier League, six points above the drop zone, but would not sign an alternative for Alonso.

Pulis, after seven years at the helm, would leave at the end of the season, bringing an end to an era in the Potteries, as Mark Hughes would assume control at the bet365 Stadium, guiding the club to three consecutive ninth-placed finishes.

Whilst the Potters' fortunes weren't all too affected by missing out on Alonso, they could have potentially gone even better with the Spaniard at left-back.

The Chelsea hero likely has few regrets as to how things panned out for him, as Stoke