Poor Arsene Wenger. The Arsenal boss was a pioneer when he arrived in the Premier League and imported some of the best foreign talents to win trophies with the Gunners and opened England’s eyes to the riches available in Europe. He’d won three league titles and four FA Cups before a stadium move crippled the club financially and he was forced to alter his philosophy a bit and focus on youth talent.
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Along the way, there were targets he was poised to sign before the transfers fell through and nowadays he only ponders over what could have been had he signed those now-world-class players. The press also does their part, asking him to dig up hidden memories, some too painful for the French manager to explain.
So many players have been on his radar so we’ve come up with the XI that he nearly signed.
Formation: 3-5-2
Goalkeeper: Joe Hart
Ever since the departure of Jens Lehmann, Arsenal had never truly found a world class goalkeeper until they signed Petr Cech from Chelsea. With flops such as Manuel Almunia between the sticks, Wenger had identified a young Joe Hart as a possible no.1
“I remember when Hart played at Birmingham, I asked about him and they told me he is at Man City. I thought he would be the keeper there.
“He has something that is needed for a goalkeeper to play at a big club and I am not surprised he made it as number one.” – Wenger
Hart would go on to establish himself as City’s no.1 and had a successful career at the Etihad, winning the Premier League twice and the FA Cup once. He was considered one of the best shot-stoppers in the league when City dominated the Premier League and his loan move to Torino after Pep Guardiola took over did raise some eyebrows.
Centre Back: Raphael Varane
While Wenger has been praised for his attacking football philosophy, there were certain defensive signings he deemed necessary in the 20 years he has been in charge. Signings such as Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure stand out and Wenger did have an eye on a young, up-and-coming French defender who was signed by Real Madrid in 2011.
“When he was at Racing Lens, we tried to get him. We need to ask why he did not want to play with us.
“Varane has shown [Jose] Mourinho that he can count on him. I’m happy for him with the way he has developed.” – Wenger
Varane was making a name for himself in La Liga, especially after he had displaced Portuguese defender Pepe from the lineup. Once a permanent fixture in the XI, Pepe was benched in favour of Varane who partnered Sergio Ramos.
Centre Back: Vincent Kompany
In the last few seasons, Wenger struggled to find a defender who could lead from the back and Vincent Kompany was one of the true leaders who captained Manchester City to two league titles. When Campbell needed to be replaced, a young Kompany was identified as the man to take his spot. But Wenger dithered and he eventually wound up at Hamburg.
“I had meetings at Real Madrid, the club leaders at Barcelona and by Arsene Wenger himself at Arsenal. But heading to an absolute top club immediately was not the right solution because Vincent is someone who feels alone in an environment where he is not properly valued.
“Vincent is not a third or fourth choice. In Hamburg that was not the case.” – Kompany’s agent Jacques Lichtenstein.
A rock at the back before injuries debilitated him in recent months, the Belgian was a no-nonsense centre-back who diligently went about his business of mopping up at the back and organising the back line.
Centre Back: Gerard Pique
One of the finest centre-backs in the world today, Gerard Pique has won it all for club and country. Six La Liga titles, three Champions League trophies, two Euros and a World Cup with Spain – the list is endless.
It may have been a completely different story had Wenger had his way and brought him to north London. While he did get Cesc Fabregas, Pique was another player who was supposed to make his way to England before the move fell through.
“We wanted Fabregas, Messi and Pique. It worked only for Fabregas.” – Wenger
Pique would eventually move to England but joined rivals Manchester United instead. However, he did not last long and moved back home and sealed his legendary status at the Camp Nou.
Central Midfielder: N’Golo Kante
The midfield phenom who helped Leicester City overcome 5000/1 odds to win the Premier League title, N’Golo Kante was a central midfield force all by himself. In a 4-4-2 formation deployed by the Foxes, legend has it that Claudio Ranieri played Danny Drinkwater in the middle and Kante on either side!
The French midfielder covered more ground than anyone else in the league and Wenger mentioned that he did try to sign him before he shot to fame with Leicester.
“Have I looked to sign Kanté? Yes. When he was in France and when he was at Leicester.
“I cannot explain everything [about Kante’s decision to move to Chelsea] but it is quite obvious when you look at where he has gone. Was it the money? I do not want to talk about that. Transfers are transfers; you cannot explain absolutely everything.” – Wenger
Wenger eventually signed Granit Xhaka in midfield but his latest comments on Kante may infuriate some Arsenal fans who may be scratching their heads wondering because Xhaka and Kante’s wages may not be all that different.
Central Midfielder: Xabi Alonso
When Rafa Benitez was in charge at Liverpool, the club was on the rise – at least in Europe. Two Champions League final appearances, including a win in the 2005 final in Istanbul had made the club a force to reckon with. And in the centre of that squad was Xabi Alonso.
However, by 2008, Benitez believed Alonso was on the wane and decided to offload him for a good price. The Spain international, ever the professional, agreed and clubs made their bids.
“There was interest from Juventus. There was interest from Arsenal. But the clubs could not agree terms. I was ready to leave, because the manager wanted me to leave. It did not happen, though.” – Alonso
Wenger refused to meet the steep £18m asking price to sign the Basque-born midfielder and, finally, Alonso ended up staying. A year later, he himself put in a transfer request and moved to Real Madrid, even managing to win another Champions League before opting to finish his career with Bayern Munich.
Left Winger: Cristiano Ronaldo
In an alternate universe, one where Sir Alex Ferguson did not exist, Wenger may have signed Cristiano Ronaldo and won trophies by the dozen. Instead, he lost out on the Portuguese winger in 2003 as the Scottish manager stepped in and worked his magic to bring the highly-rated youngster to Old Trafford.
“My biggest regret: I was so close to signing Cristiano Ronaldo. And not only did I not get him, but he signed for Manchester United. That, of course, still hurts today.” – Wenger in 2014
Ronaldo only need show the trophies he has won ever since to prove how terribly wrong Wenger was to not sign him up quickly. Four league titles, three Champions League trophies, four Ballons d’Or, numerous goalscoring records... Ok, we’ll give Wenger a break at this point.
Right Winger: Gareth Bale
Before Gareth Bale became the attacking superstar that propelled him right to the summit of the transfer market, he was a left-back struggling to make a mark at Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur. His rise was sudden and once he rose through the ranks and the formation, he did not look back.
Bale went on to have an unforgettable season with Tottenham Hotspur in 2012/13 (at least on a personal level) where he scored 26 goals. Real Madrid came calling and £86m saw the Spurs let him leave for Spain and live his dream.
“We didn't take him 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.” – Wenger
For someone who converted an Invincible like Lauren from a forward to a full-back, perhaps he could have done the reverse for Bale? We’ll never know.
Attacking Midfielder: Lionel Messi
Everyone wonders whether Lionel Messi can do it all on a cold, wet night in Stoke and Wenger may have been the one to help answer the question if things had gone his way. While the deal for Pique fell through, Messi was a different matter altogether.
Both he and Fabregas were Arsenal targets and Wenger wanted to bring them both. But reports of Wenger refusing to give Messi’s family a flat was flatly denied by the Frenchman and he claimed it was just simply impossible to remove Messi from his comfort zone in Barcelona.
“I refused nothing. In the end, he was not looking to move. It was the period Fabregas came. They played together in the same team. We wanted Fabregas, Messi and Pique.
“It was not completely down to a flat. In the end, Messi was comfortable at Barcelona.”
If only, Arsene. If only...
Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Europe’s quintessential journeyman striker almost moved to England more than a decade before he signed for Manchester United in 2016. Back in 2000, when the Swedish striker was making a name for himself at Ajax, he had arrived in north London as a move to Arsenal looked very much on the cards.
But the move was never completed. At the time, Ibrahimovic was incensed that he needed to go through a trial to see if he could fit into Wenger’s plans. Of course, he did not take it lightly.
“Arsene gave me the famous red and white jersey – the no.9 shirt with Ibrahimovic on it and I was so pleased I even posed for a picture wearing it. It was a fantastic moment for me.
“So then I waited for him to convince me that I should join Arsenal. But he didn't even try. He never actually made me a serious offer, it was more, 'I want to see how good you are, what kind of player you are. Have a trial'.
“I couldn't believe it. I was like, ‘No way, Zlatan doesn't do auditions’.” – Ibrahimovic
At the time, the young striker was considered to be arrogant and many felt the club were better off without him. Now, 13 league titles in four different countries say otherwise. Who knows, both club and player would have been a perfect match – having never won the Champions League and all.
Striker: Luis Suarez
Ah, the cheeky £40,000,001 bid that sent the media into a tizzy and had the folks at Anfield up in arms. When Arsenal were told about the £40m release clause in Luis Suarez’s contract, Wenger jumped at the chance but the nature of the bid soon became public, even forcing club owner John W Henry to tweet this:.
However, Wenger was quick to clarify his stance.
“There again, the details will maybe come out one day. Maybe not in my book, but somebody else’s book!
“I know only one side of the story, but we always had fair relations with Liverpool, we kept in touch over that period. It was not meant to be provocative at all. It could be interpreted like that, but it was not our purpose.
“Did he want to join us? I do not want to dwell any more on that situation - it was one of the transfers that did not work.”
Wenger never got the striker who could have helped him win the league. But in hindsight, it seems like it was better to let him go as the Uruguayan was angling for a move to Spain so he could settle there with his family. Barcelona soon came calling and the rest is history.
It’s safe to say that Wenger wouldn’t have been able to have all these players in the same team with the kind of wages the Arsenal players received in the last decade.
