Is there a player in world football that Arsene Wenger hasn't claimed to have seen before he hit the big time?
Dimitri Payet has emerged as one of the best players in the world in his first season at West Ham.
But has he always been this great? Before he rocked up at Upton Park last summer, he was highly rated, but perhaps hadn't found a consistent level of quality form with Marseille.
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Yet his success at West Ham must have other top English clubs wondering how the Hammers were able to tie up Payet in a £10.7million deal and they weren't.
Wenger is consistently asked about other impressive players in the league and includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Anthony Martial and Yaya Toure as ones he missed out on before they hit the big time.
And he confirmed he had seen Payet many times before he signed for West Ham - but it appears the Arsenal boss never considered him as a potential signing.
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When asked his fellow Frenchman in his press conference ahead of facing West Ham at the weekend, Wenger said:
We're not sure that will anger Arsenal fans much, considering the attacking midfield talent currently in Arsene Wenger's squad.
Mesut Ozil leads the way in that position, while Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Alex Iwobi, Joel Campbell and Jack Wilshere can also play there too.
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But Wenger will be hoping he doesn't regret not having Payet in his team when the Gunners visit Upton Park this weekend.
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Topics: Football, Arsene Wenger, West Ham United, Arsenal, Dimitri Payet
