FRENCH maestro Youri Djorkaeff has revealed he could have been a Wanderer earlier in the season, if his Kaiserslautern bosses had played ball.

The World Cup winner, who arrived at the Reebok in blaze of glory this week, claims the Germans priced him out of the move.

"I could have been here a few months ago," the 33-year-old attacker confirmed. "Bolton made a bid but Kaiserslautern turned it down.

"I would have come but they put the block on it."

The revelation goes some way to explaining Sam Allardyce's frustration at having to wait so long to strengthen his squad with top quality players.

The Wanderers' boss wanted to bring in reinforcements when he saw the first signs of the slide that has left him fighting a relegation battle.

But limited transfer resources meant he was continually priced out of the market for some of the most respected players on the Continent. He could only watch and wait in January as some of cream of the crop changed hands before the European transfer window closed. Then he made his move.

Fredi Bobic was first to arrive, next came Stig Tofting then, in the space of 10 days, the two Frenchmen - Djorkaeff followed by his countryman Mario Espartero.

Djorkaeff joined the survival scrap at Southampton today, raring to go but believing that, if Kaiserlautern had played ball, he would have had more than 12 games to make his mark.