Arsene Wenger's 'Nearly Signed' XI: Active players who almost played for Arsenal

Modified Feb 04, 2017 07:29 GMT

Wenger Nearly Signed XI — Can you imagine Ronaldo and Messi in Arsenal shirts? Nope, we can’t.

Central Midfielder: Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso Wenger Arsenal — Wenger wanted Alonso and Fabregas in Arsenal’s midfield

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.

Edited by Staff Editor