Arsene Wenger has solidified himself as one of the most notorious managers in football history, and his time at Arsenal is certainly one for the history book with three premier league titles and seven FA cups.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, there’s always room for improvement! Here is an XI of players that Wenger almost signed in his heyday that would have made for a mighty force to come up against on the pitch:
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon
Buffon is certainly no buffoon when it comes to his goalkeeping skills, and the stars were almost aligned for him to join Arsenal instead of Juventus in 2001 – fans of the Gunners can now only wonder where the team could have taken him should he have joined them instead!
Embed from Getty ImagesRight back: Gerard Pique
Wenger was the King when it came to right-backs, so excuse us for taking some artistic liberty here. In the running for his list of attackers were Fabregas, Messi, and Pique, but Fabregas was the only one who ended up joining the team in their heyday.
Embed from Getty ImagesCentreback: Raphael Varane
This one’s bound to hurt! Wenger kept up with his reputation of failing to bag great centre-backs when he let Varane slip through his fingers while he was showing his chops at Lens – with this addition, they may truly have had the perfect team on their hands!
Embed from Getty ImagesCentreback: Vincent Kompany
Known for being a great defender on the pitch, Kompany was almost swooped up by Wenger as a replacement for Sol Campbell but was beaten at the goalpost by Hamburg, who managed to get his signature first.
Embed from Getty ImagesLeft-back: Gareth Bale
New fans of Bale may not remember how he started his budding career as a left-back, but when Wenger had his eyes set on him, he was. The only thing that held Wenger back from signing him was his confidence in Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy to play the role of left-back just fine.
Embed from Getty ImagesCentre-Mid: Claude Makelele
Wenger nearly signed Makelele while he was still at Nantes back in 1996, even admitting that he had missed out on this star player. He did have Vieira instead, though, which certainly isn’t a player to turn your nose up at!
Embed from Getty ImagesCentre-Mid: Yaya Toure
Toure even got as far as playing a pre-season friendly at Arsenal before he backed out of his deal and went on to play at Barcelona and Manchester City – the reason he didn’t end up staying was simply over his lack of passport at the time!
Embed from Getty ImagesRight Wing: Lionel Messi
While it seems ridiculous to think of Messi outside of his Barcelona hometown team at the time, Wenger was set on swooping Messi from La Masia, but Messi and Barca were not too keen on giving him up that easy – and rightfully so!
Embed from Getty ImagesCentre Attack Mid: Ronaldhino
Who would’ve thought that one of the biggest names in football history almost found his way to donning a Gunners jersey? The Brazilian legend was in talks to make the deal of a lifetime with Arsenal, but work permits got in the way of this now-distant fantasy.
Embed from Getty ImagesLeft Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
Who would’ve thought we could live in a world where Messi and Ronaldo would play together? However, back in the day, it was nearly a reality at Arsenal. Wenger even called this one in 2018 when he said it was the biggest player they missed out on.
Embed from Getty ImagesStriker: Kylian Mbappe
If anyone doubted Wenger’s ability to spot early talent, then refer them to his hunt for Mbappe. At the time when he was uncertain about extending his contract with Monaco, Wenger wanted him to join Arsenal for free!
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