Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been remarkably honest about his transfer business over the years. Wenger has opened up on the attempted signings of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and many more over the years - but they fell short. “You have to live with regret in life with unachieved business,” the Frenchman once said regarding some of the superstars who could have played - but didn’t - play for Arsenal Here's a look at 10 superstars who almost signed for the Gunners but never quite came off. Things could certainly have turned out very differently if some of these had come to fruition... 1) Cristiano Ronaldo "The obvious player that comes to mind is Ronaldo," Wenger once admitted when asked about players Arsenal almost signed. It must be the one which leaves Gunners fans wondering what could have been. The future five-time Balon d’Or winner was close to joining Arsenal as a young prospect at Sporting Lisbon. But a friendly against Manchester United saw him play a starring role and the rest is history. "He was here with his mother and we were very close,” Wenger continued. “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.” Arsenal fans aren’t the only ones wondering what could have been. "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,” Wenger continued. "Once we were at 4.5 million pounds, we were still in negotiations... so we were very close. But Man United went to 12 million pounds, which we could not afford at the time." Ronaldo recently opened up about his meeting with Wenger, recalling: "I met with Arsene Wenger and was about to go to Arsenal. “I talked to Barcelona , Real Madridand Inter too but after the friendly against Manchester United, who were already interested, they became even more interested and they sped up negotiations and signed me." 2) Lionel Messi If missing out on Ronaldo wasn’t bad enough, Arsenal could have also had Lionel Messi in their ranks. In reality, Wenger’s comments suggest a move was never likely to materialise - but things could have played out differently. Rumours suggested Messi was once given an Arsenal shirt with his name on, which Wenger has denied, but talks did take place. “We were in discussion with him when we bought Fabregas,” he said. “You can realise sometimes what fantastic youth teams you had before when you’re a club like Barcelona. “But in the same team: Messi, Pique and Fabregas. “Pique and Fabregas came to England and Messi stayed in Spain. “We were interested in him, yes. But he was untouchable at the time.” If he was untouchable then, he’s certainly untouchable now. Unlucky, Arsene. 3) Jadon Sancho Will wonderkid Jadon Sancho become the next global superstar like Ronaldo or Messi? He
Arsenal FC,Carlos Queiroz,Gianluigi Buffon,Cristiano Ronaldo,Lionel Messi,Didier Drogba,Thierry Henry,David Seaman,Arsene Wenger,Luis Suarez,Premier League,
Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been remarkably honest about his transfer business over the years. Wenger has opened up on the attempted signings of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and many more over the years - but they fell short. “You have to live with regret in life with unachieved business,” the Frenchman once said regarding some of the superstars who could have played - but didn’t - play for Arsenal Here's a look at 10 superstars who almost signed for the Gunners but never quite came off. Things could certainly have turned out very differently if some of these had come to fruition... 1) Cristiano Ronaldo "The obvious player that comes to mind is Ronaldo," Wenger once admitted when asked about players Arsenal almost signed. It must be the one which leaves Gunners fans wondering what could have been. The future five-time Balon d’Or winner was close to joining Arsenal as a young prospect at Sporting Lisbon. But a friendly against Manchester United saw him play a starring role and the rest is history. "He was here with his mother and we were very close,” Wenger continued. “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.” Arsenal fans aren’t the only ones wondering what could have been. "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,” Wenger continued. "Once we were at 4.5 million pounds, we were still in negotiations... so we were very close. But Man United went to 12 million pounds, which we could not afford at the time." Ronaldo recently opened up about his meeting with Wenger, recalling: "I met with Arsene Wenger and was about to go to Arsenal. “I talked to Barcelona , Real Madridand Inter too but after the friendly against Manchester United, who were already interested, they became even more interested and they sped up negotiations and signed me." 2) Lionel Messi If missing out on Ronaldo wasn’t bad enough, Arsenal could have also had Lionel Messi in their ranks. In reality, Wenger’s comments suggest a move was never likely to materialise - but things could have played out differently. Rumours suggested Messi was once given an Arsenal shirt with his name on, which Wenger has denied, but talks did take place. “We were in discussion with him when we bought Fabregas,” he said. “You can realise sometimes what fantastic youth teams you had before when you’re a club like Barcelona. “But in the same team: Messi, Pique and Fabregas. “Pique and Fabregas came to England and Messi stayed in Spain. “We were interested in him, yes. But he was untouchable at the time.” If he was untouchable then, he’s certainly untouchable now. Unlucky, Arsene. 3) Jadon Sancho Will wonderkid Jadon Sancho become the next global superstar like Ronaldo or Messi? He
0 Yorumlar