Signings Arsenal have missed out on over the years
By Chris Byfield
In particular the Gunners have bolstered their attacking options by bringing in Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus for £45million while Portuguese attacking midfielder Fábio Vieira has also joined from Porto for £34million.
In July, Oleksandr Zinchenko also signed from City for £32million, with the versatile Ukrainian capable of filling in at left back and defensive midfield if required.
Arsenal’s summer signings have so far seemed shrewd while manager Mikel Arteta refused to rule out further additions after his side’s 6-0 win over Sevilla on Saturday.
The Gunners have been heavily linked with Lucas Paqueta and Youri Tielemans in the past month, both of whom would stir considerable excitement among the Emirates faithful if completed.
But which players have slipped through Arsenal’s fingers in the past? Disclaimer: There are some big names below.
Lionel Messi
Arguably the greatest player to ever grace a football pitch, Lionel Messi’s stellar career included a 17-year spell at Barcelona that saw him net 672 goals and provide 266 assists in just 778 games.
The diminutive Argentinian, who has won a record seven Balon d’Or’s, now plies his trade at PSG as part of a forward line that also includes Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
Yet in 2003, while Arsenal were securing the signature of a 16-year-old Cesc Fabregas, Arsene Wenger was interested in another La Masia prospect – Messi.
According to Sky Sports, Wenger once said: "We had discussions with Messi when we bought Fabregas.
"We were interested in him but he was untouchable at the time."
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo famously first signed for Manchester United in 2003 after Sporting Lisbon took on Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in a glamour pre-season friendly to celebrate the opening of the José Alvalade Stadium.
Lining up for Sporting at the time was a lanky, young winger named Ronaldo who ran the United defence ragged.
Within a week the Portuguese youngster had moved to Old Trafford for £12million, after Ferguson had reportedly refused to leave Lisbon until Ronaldo had signed.
The five-time Balon d’Or winner once told ITV when asked if he could have joined Arsenal: "It's true. Very close.
"Seriously. It didn't happen but Arsenal, I appreciate what they did for me. Especially Arsene Wenger.”
Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho was one of the most talented and audacious footballers of his generation.
His quick feet and toothy grin cemented the Brazilians' place in the hearts of even the most partisan of supporters, and helped Barcelona claim a Champions League and Brazil win their fifth World Cup.
And according to Wenger, Arsenal tried to sign the winger for just £4million when Ronaldinho was a 20-year-old who had scored 72 times in 145 games for Gremio.
However, as a non-EU player, Ronaldinho required a work permit to sign for the north Londoners, which he could not secure as he had not yet played enough games for Brazil.
Wenger explained to Sky Sports: "We could have got Ronaldinho before he went to PSG.
"I met his brother, who is his agent, but we just couldn't get him to England because of the rules. Basically, what the rule does is force you to wait to buy the player but by then you cannot afford him.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
In 2000 a cocky 16-year-old Swede arrived in London to sign for the Gunners.
His name was Zlatan Ibrahimovic and in a matter of years he would go on to become one of the most feared strikers in the world, notorious for his technical and physical prowess on the pitch and his eccentric personality off it.
But not for Arsenal.
Wenger asked Ibrahimovic to go on trial at Arsenal, which the young striker out-right refused.
Ibrahimovic explained to the News of the World: "I went for an appointment with Wenger, who asked me to audition for the Gunners.
"I told him I will not do a trial. Either you take me or not, I'm not here to waste time. I met Wenger because I expected him to tell me to start with them right away. But Ibra does not test."
Luis Suarez
Famously, in 2013 Arsenal made a £40,000,001 bid for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. Yes - that’s £40million plus £1.
The football world was quick to ridicule the Gunners’ strange attempt at luring the Uruguayan, while the bid prompted Liverpool owner John W Henry to famously tweet: "What do you think they're smoking over there at the Emirates?"
Wenger has since claimed that Suarez wanted to come and admitted that the Arsenal hierarchy had misunderstood a clause in the striker’s contract.
£40million wasn’t a release clause, but instead was a clause that allowed Suarez to talk to another club.
Suarez remained at Liverpool that summer and the following season had one of the greatest individual campaigns in Premier League history, scoring 31 goals in 33 games.
He then signed for Barcelona for £75million, to complete a forward line that also included Messi and Neymar.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
