Top five players who nearly signed for Arsenal
Top five players who nearly signed for Arsenal
It’s that time of the summer when rumours are swirling, with fans nervously refreshing twitter, desperate to see the iconic ‘HERE WE GO’.
At the time of writing, the destinations of several players are seemingly in the balance.
Gabriel Jesus appears to be on his way to North London, but nothing is a certain in the dark, dingy world of football transfers.
Just ask Raphinha, who was poised to sign for Mikel Arteta, only for Chelsea to turn his head at the last minute.
As clubs court stars and agents pull strings, only fate decides who goes where and for how much.
Fate, it turns out, has not been kind to Arsenal over the years, as this list of nearly-Gunners proves.
Kylian Mbappe
PSG’s superstar Kylian Mbappe, seemingly the natural successor to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, put an end to unending speculation over a move to Real Madrid in May.
The 23-year-old penned a three-year deal to remain in Paris, for now at least.
But how different the situation would be now if the tricky speedster had been persuaded by Arsene Wenger back in 2017.
The then-teenager was at Monaco and destined for bigger things.
He revealed in an interview to Canal+: "I met with Arsene Wenger, who is a great coach. He has a great reputation here in France, he's well-respected and knows how to develop young players. This was a real option for me.
"I dream of being managed by Arsène Wenger. He is French, he's had a great career and now he is free because he has left Arsenal.
"We weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of all the clubs but my family told me it had to be my decision and one I needed to make.
"It also had to be a long-term decision. So it was up to me and I decided to come here [to PSG] in order to develop."
Wenger was certainly keen but, as is so often the case, financial restraints put a pin in the deal.
“He could become the next Pelé,” Wenger told Telefoot. “He has no limits. He’s 18 and will only get stronger. I wanted him too, but €180m is too much for us.”
Gareth Bale
Subject of tremendous interest this summer, Gareth Bale has just signed for MLS side Los Angeles FC, after winning three La Liga and five Champions League titles with Real Madrid.
Bale was of course an Arsenal fan when he was younger, telling the Daily Mirror: "I used to like Arsenal a lot.
“But when I moved to Tottenham of course I liked them less—but I really admired Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, those kind of players. They were incredible."
But before his move to Spurs, the left-back was plying his trade at Southampton in the same side as Theo Walcott.
Arsenal were tracking the young Welshman, but as Wenger later explained, a move wasn’t made because they were already stacked in his position.
"We didn't take him as we had Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy and didn't want another left-back," explained Wenger to the Sun.
"I must confess it was a huge mistake as he can play in midfield. He struggled at the start at Tottenham, then they moved him to midfield and he has done exceptionally well.
"The career of a player sometimes depends on playing in the right position."
Luis Suarez
One of the most bizarre transfer sagas played out in the summer of 2013, with Liverpool talisman Luis Suarez frustrated at the lack of Champions League football.
The Uruguayan would go on to have one of the greatest seasons in Premier League history, scoring 31 goals in 33 league games as the Reds stumbled to a second-place finish.
Reports claimed that Liverpool would be forced to accept any bid over £40million, prompting Arsenal to submit an infamous £40million + £1 bid.
Owner John Henry tweeted in response: “What do you think they’re smoking over there at Emirates?”
But Arsenal’s interest was genuine and Suarez admitted he was poised to join before a phone call with manager Brendan Rodgers.
He told UEFA: "Back then, I had opportunities to sign for other clubs who were getting in contact with me, but he [Brendan Rodgers] phoned me when I was in Uruguay on holiday, to tell me that he had another way of thinking, that he wanted to change the club and its philosophy.
"That he wanted the club to get back in the Champions League and fight to win big trophies, that he was going to make the team play great football.
"He asked me to believe and trust him. I enjoyed that chat. I liked his conviction, the philosophy he wanted to implement at the club, so I talked to my agent and the club to say that I didn't want to leave, that I wanted another opportunity to be successful at Liverpool.
Cristiano Ronaldo
CR7 needs no introduction.
Arguably the greatest footballer of all time almost became a Gunner way before he amassed a ridiculous collection of individual and collective honours:
Seven league titles, five Ballon d’Ors, five Champions Leagues, one Euros, over 1,100 appearances and over 800 senior goals barely scrape the surface.
He signed for Manchester United as an 18-year-old in 2003, but he came incredibly close to swapping Lisbon for London as Wenger revealed to Arsenal.com years later.
He said: “He was here with his mother and we were very close. Then Man United came in and they had Carlos Queiroz at the time, who was their coach.
“United played against Sporting Lisbon and Ronaldo was outstanding and they signed him.
“You could imagine at the time what it would have been like to have Thierry Henry and Ronaldo together. That would certainly have changed a little bit the history of my stay here as well.”
Reports suggest that Arsenal offered approximately £4.5million with a deal close, before United swooped with a £12million bid that was immediately accepted.
Lionel Messi
In an alternate reality, the other greatest footballer of all time also could have been wearing the red and white of Arsenal in the same deal that took Cesc Fabregas to the Premier League.
In the same summer that CR7 was just a phone call away from becoming a Gunner, Wenger was making enquiries after a 16-year-old Messi.
He explained to beIN SPORTS in 2020: “We were in discussions with him when we bought [Cesc] Fabregas because Messi played [with him].
“Pique and Fabregas came to England [with Manchester United and Arsenal respectively], Messi stayed in Spain. We were interested in him, but he was untouchable at the time.”
Guillem Balague confirmed the reports in his book Messi: “The English club could not offer a flat for the family, and there would be difficulty obtaining a work permit.
“Bit by bit points of mutual interest evaporated until the offer lay dead in the water.
“But they left Jorge [Messi’s father] with a message: ‘Any time you encounter problems, remember, our club wants him.’”
Imagine how formidable Wenger’s late 2000s side would have been with Messi and Ronaldo on their books.
