The 'Arsene Wenger Tried to Sign' Thread

[crossy1686]

So it appears Wenger's at it again with his tales of 'if things were different he would be playing for us'. This is in regards to trying to sign Di Maria when he was 17 but the deal fell through due to work permit regulations. I've personally lost track of all the players Wenger reckons he could have signed or almost signed so lets compile a list and see what that Arsenal team could have looked like if Wenger would have got his man each time.

Goalkeeper: Petr Cech - Work permit issues made Wenger miss out on Cech back in 2002 and he instead went on to sign for Rennes in France, eventually moving on to Chelsea.

Midfield: Yaya Toure - Wenger turned down Yaya after having him on trial as a youngster. Yaya then went on to join Olympiacos instead and become one of the best midfielder's in the world.

Midfield: Di Maria - Work Permit Issues. Wenger identified Di Maria when he was 17 but

Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic - About to sign from Malmö but Wenger asked him to play a trial. Zlatan doesn't do auditions. Transfer off.

Striker: Messi - The story goes that Arsenal's refusal to buy Messi's family an apartment in London saw the deal fall through. I'm sure Wenger would have given him his own home if he knew just how great he was going to become. Arsenal were keen at the time but not THAT keen as they'd just secured Febregas.

Striker: Cristiano Ronaldo - Shown around London, given an Arsenal shirt with his name on the back by Wenger, who also confirmed the transfer with Sporting, all done after wooing Ronaldo's mother. Then United play Sporting in 2003, Sporting win 3-1 with Ronaldo running the show. Carlos Queiroz works his magic. Another one that got away.

There are more out there, some are somewhat dubious but Arsenal could have one hell of a team if Wenger would have got the players he wanted. There's a running theme in all of them though, if Wenger would have simply tried to be less tight with his cash (like now) he would have landed an incredibly impressive bunch of players.

 

[SirAF]

I thought about this when I saw the article from today

 

[Santos J]

Di Maria wouldn't have even needed a work permit, he'd have been eligible for an Italian passport which is what he has now.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

He said the same about wanting Javier Hernandez a year before we got him. He's always jabbering on about how he nearly got such-and-such years before anyone really knew about them. The epitome of the football hipster.

He probably doesn't like any of those players anymore. Too mainstream.

 

[Giggsy PO]

This Ronaldo story is confirmed or possible BS?

 

[crossy1686]

Di Maria wouldn't have even needed a work permit, he'd have been eligible for an Italian passport which is what he has now.

I suspect this Italian great, great, great, great grandpa materialised after his work permit woes.

 

[crossy1686]

This Ronaldo story is confirmed or possible BS?

It's confirmed by Wenger himself: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...biggest-regret-missing-Cristiano-Ronaldo.html

 

[Xaviesta]

Must drive Arsenal fans up the wall this.

 

[JazzG]

This isn't new information, I remember when we were linked to the player and it falling through because of work permit issues.

The Messi thing is nonsense and Wenger has confirmed that, we did try to sign him with Fabregas but unlike Fabregas he was quite content at Barca. Yaya didn't sign because we couldn't get a work permit for him and he didn't want to go out on loan to Beveren.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

He's full of shite. I'm sure most managers had opportunities to sign these players, they were no secret.

 

[FC Ronaldo]

Poor Arsenal fans. These past 10 years must have been unbearable. The 'almost' club.

Almost had Ronaldo, Zlatan, Yaya, Di Maria, Cech and Messi. Almost won the Champions League in 2006.

These stories serve Arsene no purpose. It's almost understandable that they react with WengerOut every time they lose. Frustration tolerance at the limit.

 

[BorisDeLeFora]

So Barcelona "Almost" had Messi and Zlatan, Real Madrid "Almost" had Di Maria, Chelsea "Almost" had Cech, and Man City "Almost" had Yaya.

Interesting.

 

[BobbyManc]

At least Wenger's claims always have some substance to them - for example it's well known Yaya and Ibrahimovic both had, or were offered, trials there. Harry Redknapp is by far the biggest muppet when it comes to this. Any player who has had success at some point in their career over the past 15 years has had to reject the lures of Redknapp it would seem. His autobiography was also apparently full of shit, the best story been when he claimed a player's wife (don't remember which player) tried to run him over, only for the player to come out and say his wife doesn't drive and never has.

 

[Samid]

Cech
Sagna - Koscielny - Vermaelen - Gibbs
Cesc - Yaya - Di Maria
Zlatan - Messi - Ronaldo

Bench: Ospina, Chambers, Ramsey, Nasri, Oxlade, Sanchez, van Persie​

 

[kps88]

It's hilarious how he always says it with a sense of pride and superiority. Failing to sign future superstars is nothing to be proud of; even more so when you are aware they exist.

 

[Crackers]

Cech
Sagna - Koscielny - Vermaelen - Gibbs
Cesc - Yaya - Di Maria
Zlatan - Messi - Ronaldo

Bench: Ospina, Chambers, Ramsey, Nasri, Oxlade, Sanchez, van Persie​

Signs good attackers but won't buy a decent center back. #WengerLogic

 

[cyberman]

Drogba
Etoo
Makelele
Weren't they in for Alonso when Rafa tried to sell him?
And of course Suarez..

 

[Cooksen]

Has Wenger tried singing any caftards.

I dont think he would of went for me on the basis that I played CB when i played.

 

[Ruht]

Does he get a hard on every time he says he "almost" signed a player? I just don't get the man..

 

[MDFC Manager]

Almost Signs good attackers but won't buy a decent center back. #WengerLogic

Fixed

 

[Crackers]

Has Wenger tried singing any caftards.

I dont think he would of went for me on the basis that I played CB when i played.

Were you any good? If you had any sort of potential but didn't progress enough you'd be an ideal candidate.

 

[Ducklegs]

Dont forget he "almost" signed Suarez season before last, had he and the arsenal board not acted like a bunch of colossal twats towards liverpool.

This list has the juiciest ones:

http://www.itv.com/news/2015-01-23/...yers-arsene-wenger-almost-signed-for-arsenal/

 

[Cooksen]

Were you any good? If you had any sort of potential but didn't progress enough you'd be an ideal candidate.

I could pass the ball to a guy in the same shirt (as long they were 10 metres away) and not be injured every week.

Perfect candidate for Arsenal.

 

[Sied]

Had to laugh when I saw the BBC headline on di Maria earlier.

 

[luckyspurs]

Don't mind Wenger but.

The Gunners manager claims his side were onto the Croatian before Spurs after playing against him in the Champions League, but had Cesc Fabregas as their creative hub already

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed the club were interested in signing Luka Modric before he joined Tottenham in 2008.

The player was the subject of intense interest from Chelsea in the summer but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy took a hardline stance that no offers for the Croatian would be accepted, despite the 26-year-old’s pleas to leave.

The Gunners boss believes his club had the midfielder on their radar before their north London counterparts but ultimately decided they did not need another creative central player.

“We knew Modric before Tottenham knew him,” Wenger told reporters on Friday. “We played against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League [in August 2006] and he played in the same team as Eduardo against us.

“At the time we had [Cesc] Fabregas, not a bad player. But we were interested in Modric.

“He is very mobile. I'm not surprised how well Modric has done, I knew he would do well.”

The Croatian international joined Tottenham for £16.5 million under former boss Juande Ramos, and has made 122 appearances in over three years at White Hart Lane.

The two rivals will face off on Sunday, with both sides looking to climb up towards the top four following starts to the season that have involved humiliating defeats away to Manchester United.

Tottenham lost 3-0 at Old Trafford in their first game of the season; Arsenal, on the other hand, were defeated 8-2 against the Premier League title-holders in their first league game after influential midfielder Samir Nasri's departure to Manchester City.

Who knew, when he was just a leggy young left-back at Southampton, that Gareth Bale was to become one of the world's hottest properties?

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger didn't, and turned down the chance to sign Bale for buttons alongside his then fellow Saints wonderteen Theo Walcott - a decision Wenger has now admitted was "a huge mistake".

Speaking to the Sun newspaper, the rueful Frenchman confessed: “We didn’t take him [Gareth Bale] as we had Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy and didn’t want another left-back.

“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.”

The player Wenger opted to sign - Walcott - has famously had to lobby hard for the Gunners gaffer to re-imagine HIM as operating in a more central role.

That positional switch became part of Walcott's most recent extended contract wrangling and has since been implemented to varying degrees - which at least suggests that Arsene isn't too old to live and learn (though having a gun to his head helps...)

Looking back at the 2006 Bale-Walcott 'wonderteen choice' in pure money terms there still seems to be only likely winner: Tottenham.

Arsenal got Walcott for an initial £5million in 2006, and ended up paying Saints something just over £9m after cutting a deal over previous terms.

Tottenham got Bale for an initial £5million in 2007, later cut a deal on terms as well, meaning they paid Saints around £7m.

Leave it Arsene. Just leave it.

 

[NotoriousISSY]

I don't get the reason for revealing that he claims to have known about a player before someone else has.

 

[Ducklegs]

I don't get the reason for revealing that he claims to have known about a player before someone else has.

Its no different from talking to some gobshite in the pub, who when he sees your 2015 M5 in the car park says something like "Yeah, I looked at them, but I already a vectra/ couldnt get it pink/ wheels were too round/ I am allergic to german cars"

 

[R.N7]

I don't get the reason for revealing that he claims to have known about a player before someone else has.

 

[Joga Bonito]

“We knew Modric before Tottenham knew him,”

Get the feck in!

 

[Crustanoid]

Fat Ronaldo
Zidane
Giggs
Pele
Maradona
Stanley Matthews
Billy Meredith

 

[Wowi]

I thought about this when I saw the article from today

Same! Saw the headline on a Danish news site and thought "oh great, this again!".

 

[kps88]

 

[Ramshock]

Oh Arsene

 

[Ole's_toe_poke]

He tried to sign Zidane when he was a mere foetus.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

I love how he's always spotted and tried to but failed to sign every great footballer to have ever lived.

 

[SirAF]

He tried to sign Zidane when he was a mere foetus.

That's nothing, I heard he tried to sign Pelé!

 

[cesc's_mullet]

I remember posting on here about ADM since years ago, saying he has been heavily linked and it looked like he was signing for us. I was very surprised when he ended up signing for Benfica in the end.

 

[Amar__]

Good thread, Wenger is really boring with his same old shit.

 

[stu_1992]

First thing I thought when I heard him say that today. We heard the Ronaldo story loads of times, and the Ibrahimovic one. Never knew he claimed to "nearly" sign so many players though.

 

[Hojoon]