LOUIS SAHA

09. LOUIS SAHA

Louis Saha was born on August 8, 1978 in Paris, France.

Saha first came to the attention of the English football in January 1999 when he joined Newcastle United on a four-month loan from French side FC Metz.

The dreadlocked star was a lively forward, even if he did only managed to notch two goals in his 12 appearances for the Magpies. Newcastle decided not to sign the player on a permanent deal at the end of that season.

He returned to these shores in the summer of 2000 when Fulham boss Jean Tigana paid Metz £2,100,000 for the Paris-born star. Saha would spearhead Fulham's march to the First Division title with an outstanding 32 goals.

The step up to the Premiership was not as easy as some predicted for the player - despite scoring three goals in his first two games against Manchester United and Sunderland. He would only net a further six goals in the rest of the campaign.

Actually changed his hair style, or colour, more often than he scored goals that season!

It wasn't until the 2003/04 campaign that Saha finally came of age in the Premiership.

Playing in a Fulham side managed by rookie manager Chris Coleman, Saha managed to help the unfancied side challenge at the top end of the table.

Understandably, this was attracting the interest of the bigger clubs and after being linked with a move to a number of sides it was Manchester United who showed their hands when the transfer window opened in January.

After receiving a bid in the region of £8million, Fulham insisted their star striker would be moving nowhere. United continued their pursuit, upping their offer to £10million.

By this time Saha had been quoted in the French press, criticising Fulham for not allowing him to make his 'dream move'. But he got his way after threatening to see out the remainder of his contract and then leave on a free.

Saha eventually signed for the Red Devils for a fee of £12.82million on January 23, 2004. Fulham received £11.5m, the Premier League £575,000 and agents picked up £750,000 for their part in the deal.

The classy Under-21 international had bagged an impressive 15 goals in 21 starts by that point, and joined Manchester United with an eye on a call-up to the full France squad.

The 25-year-old has been handed the No 9 shirt last worn by Andrew Cole before his move to Blackburn Rovers FC two years ago. "It's a fantastic honour to wear the shirt and I hope I can be a success like those who have worn it in the past," said Saha. "I'm always trying to become a better player and I believe I can improve so much more playing at United."

Saha scored 7 goals in 13 Premiership appearances before the end of the season, although it was not enough to prevent the title from slipping away to Arsenal. It appeared that Saha was the ideal partner for Ruud van Nistelrooy.

However, the arrival of Alan Smith (from Leeds United for £6million) and then Wayne Rooney (from Everton for £20million) pushed Saha down the pecking order and he was linked with a move away from the club less than a year after arriving.

An up-and-coming member of the French national team, Saha was a part of the squad at the 2004 European Football Championship. He is a friend of national teammate Thierry Henry.