The Arsene Wenger Nearly-Had XI Features Some World-Class Names

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be leaving the club in summer. His long and illustrious career with the side meant that there plenty of twists and turns along the way, as Arsenal fans know too well. Over the course of the Wenger years, there were several players who just missed out on joining up with the 68-year-old.

Sky Sports have complied an all-star XI of Wenger's near-misses; the players who almost signed up for Arsenal, in the course of Wenger's 22-year reign. Some of the names on the list are astounding.

Most recently there is Monaco attacker Thomas Lemar, the French international who was heavily linked with the Gunners last summer but whose price-tag was too hefty to bring in to the club.

There's, too, some absolute world-class names on the list: five-time Ballon d'or winner Lionel Messi was one of three players Wenger attempted to sign from La Masia in 2003, but no deal came off.

"I think in the end he was not so keen to move. It was not completely down to a flat in the end, it was down to the fact that Messi was comfortable at Barcelona," a regretful Wenger said back in 2014.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the other titan of world football, is another one. The Portugal even had a tour of the Gunners' training ground but was soon swooped up by Manchester United.

Ronaldinho was on Wenger's hit list when he was still learning the trade back in Brazil with Gremio in 2001. The deal was so close to completion, too. It was only work permit issues that hampered any move.

Real Madrid star Gareth Bale had caught the eye of Wenger when the Welshman was playing for Southampton with Theo Walcott. However, the French boss ended up choosing the latter option and Bale headed to Tottenham Hotspur.

Zlatan Ibrahimović was still in Sweden when Wenger met with him to talk about a move to Arsenal. The manager famously offered him a trail, but, as you'll do well to remember: 'Zlatan doesn't do trials'.

These deals might've fell through, but there's one thing you can't deny, Wenger had a brilliant eye for talent.

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Topics: Football News, Football, Lionel Messi, Arsene Wenger, Wenger, Arsenal, Cristiano Ronaldo

Jacque Talbot

Jacque Talbot is a journalist and sports writer at SPORTbible. He graduated from Manchester Metropolitan with a BA in English and Film. He is a football, snooker, and basketball enthusiast and has been published in the Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Set Pieces, Planet Football and the Morning Star. He’s the greatest thing to come out of Essex since Nick Frost.

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