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Liverpool Stopped Arsenal Signing Antoine Griezmann In 2017

Liverpool Stopped Arsenal Signing Antoine Griezmann In 2017

The Gunners might have signed the world class forward but they were foiled by Liverpool's better performance in the Premier League.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Arsenal and players they nearly signed - name a more iconic duo, I'll wait. The Gunners may have even landed Antoine Griezmann in 2017 if it wasn't for Liverpool.

Barely a month goes by without Arsene Wenger informing the world of a player he could have signed whilst managing Arsenal but for once it's not the Frenchman who has revealed the news.

In a Q&A for the Athletic, David Ornstein revealed that Griezmann would have been a Gunner had it not been for their Premier League rivals pipping them to a top four spot by a point in the 2016/17 season.

Asked which player they missed out on that would have changed their fortunes most 'Orny,' as he's known to the Arsenal faithful on Twitter, said, "I was told that if Arsenal had qualified for the Champions League in 2017 they would have signed Antoine Griezmann, but missing out for the first time in 20 years ended their hopes on that one."

It was the first time in 20 years that the north London side failed to qualify for Europe's elite competition and despite winning the FA Cup it clearly wasn't enough to entice the then Atletico Madrid forward to join them.

Wenger's side won all of their final five league games and seven of the last eight to give themselves a chance of qualifying but ultimately a 2-0 loss to local rivals Spurs, and a poor January and March, left them one point behind Liverpool.

Griezmann was also linked to Manchester United around the time but Atleti's transfer ban that summer meant he couldn't be replaced and the French forward decided to stay put.

Griezmann finally moved to Barcelona after three summers of intense speculation. Image: PA Images
Griezmann finally moved to Barcelona after three summers of intense speculation. Image: PA Images

The following summer it looked likely he would leave for Barcelona but again decided to stay at the Wanda Metropolitano, finally moving to the Catalan giants this summer, although he's already been linked with a move away, potentially as part of a deal to bring Neymar back to the Camp Nou.

As well as Griezmann, Ornstein also mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Yaya Toure, Harry Kewell, Dietmar Hamann and Virgil van Dijk, who Arsenal wanted from Celtic before he moved to Southampton, as possible candidates for players the club missed out on.

It's incredible with all the talent that played for Arsenal during the glory years under Wenger, and after the glory had ended, what other players may have also graced the team.

Which player do you think Arsenal most regret missing out on?

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Topics: Liverpool, Football News, Barcelona, Transfer stories, Atletico Madrid, Antoine Griezmann, Premier League, Arsenal, Transfer news, Champions League, La Liga, Transfer reports