Yes, Arsenal fans, its a dream. But it very nearly could have been. Honest. Not too long ago, we had a bit of a dig at Tottenham, pointing out they had been linked with an entire teams worth of superstars over the years - but never signed any of them. Never let it be said we are anything other than balanced and fair. Because when we heard todays news that Arsenal missed out on signing the greatest player in history when he was a teenager , we realised the Gunners have let their fair share of top players slip through their fingers too. Just check out this team of players who oh-so- NEARLY signed for the red half of North London: Gianluigi Buffon The Italian legend was linked with a move to north London after declaring his desire to join the club if Juventus were to show him the door. A deal never materialised and the Gooners were stuck with Manuel Almunia. Micah Richards OK, so things have gone a little sour for Micah in recent times. But depsite a persistent link to Arsenal over the last few years, Arsene Wenger still only has approximately 0.66 right-backs available to him at present. Regrets? Hes had a few. Gerard Pique Its reported the Barcelona defender was a failed work-permit away from joining the Gooners with fellow Spaniard Cesc Fabregas. Arsenal signed young defender Philippe Senderos instead. Smart. Vincent Kompany The two-time Premier League winner was almost signed by Arsenal as a youngster from boyhood club Anderlecht. Wenger was keen to find a long-term replacement for Sol Campbell but wasnt keen on the £5million transfer fee. FYI, Johan Djourou made 30 appearances that season. Roberto Carlos The Brazilian legend revealed that joining the Gooners would be a dream, claiming that he wanted a move to the Emirates once his contract at Real Madrid had expired - he signed for Turkish side Fenerbahçe instead. Fortunately, the Arsenal faithful were later treated to the man dubbed the new Roberto Carlos. You remember Andre Santos, right? VIEW GALLERY Cristiano Ronaldo The story goes a young Ronaldo was shown around London Colney and given an Arsenal jersey with his name on the back. A £4million deal with Sporting Lisbon was agreed, only for Sporting to host Manchester United in a friendly. Ronaldo tore the United defence apart, Sir Alex Ferguson was impressed… and Arsenal never got their man. Yaya Toure He was on the clubs radar from a early age only to be declined a work-permit in 2003. Despite featuring in a friendly against Barnet, securing a permit proved tricky work for Arsenal and Wengers patience eventually ran out. As it has done many times against Man City in recent years. Xabi Alonso With Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez hoping to lure Gareth Barry to Merseyside, Alonsos feared his Liverpool career was over, Alonso headed to London hoping to secure a £15million transfer. The Barry move apparently fell through… and Mikel Arteta now plays for Arsenal. Lionel Messi According to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, Gunners scouts not only identified the 15 year-old Argentine alongside Barca rising stars Fabregas and Pique - they even offered him a contract. Needless to say, it didnt pan out. Stop laughing, Spurs fans. Zlatan Ibrahimovic Zlatan was on the verge of a £3million move from Malmo, back when he was 19. All was going to plan until Wenger asked him to play in a trial match. The Swede replied with: Zlatan doesnt do auditions. Arsenal signed current West Ham full-back Guy Demel instead - back in the days when he thought he was a striker. Didier Drogba Wenger claims that he could have signed the Ivorian for as little as £100,000 way back his Le Mans days. After watching the Chelsea hero on numerous occasions, the Arsenal manager didnt feel Drogba was ready for a club of Arsenals stature. So that worked out well... Now lets check out how Mr Wenger is feeling after reading this piece: Oh dear. Sorry, Arsene.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 18:18:07 +0000
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