Even though Arsenal have signed Granit Xhaka this season, the Gunners have been linked with moves for a range of players that almost signed for them but someone slipped out of their grasp.
Call it a bit of bad luck or the fact that they genuinely decided to move to another club for more money or chance of winning more titles, the Gunners could have a completely different and world class side had they pulled off some of these deals.
We look back at what could have been for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal and list out an incredible XI that the Gunners almost signed.
Gianluigi Buffon
The Juventus and Italy goalkeeper is one of the best in the world and the multiple Serie A winner could have joined Arsenal had Juve decided to let him go. This deal did not materialise but Buffon could have certainly kept Arsenal in many games should he have joined.
Vincent Kompany
Kompany was touted to be a replacement for Sol Campbell but a deal could not be struck with his boyhood club Anderlecht and Kompany moved to Hamburg.
Gerard Pique
The Spanish central defender was one of the youngsters scouted by the Arsenal team but instead of signing him up, the club signed a certain Cesc Fabregas and that did turn out to be a decent signing, well at least until he left for Barcelona.
Raphael Varane
Varane might have been doing well for Real Madrid in recent seasons but Wenger did state that he could have signed the defender when he was playing for Lens. Varane was only 18 when he was signed by Real from the Ligue 1 club and if Wenger had moved earlier, he could have gotten one of the best young defenders in the world.
Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure played for Arsenal! Yes, he was used as a trialist when he was 15 years old against Barnet but his performance wasn’t all that great and it was his brother who made a name for the club. Yaya could very well have starred for Arsenal but alas, things aren’t sometimes meant to be.
Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba might be coming to the Premier League once again and that too at Manchester United but the Frenchman was one of the targets of Arsene Wenger when all the problems of his contract with Manchester United began. Unfortunately, he signed for Juventus much quicker than Arsene could have made a beeline for him.
Claude Makelele
Another French midfielder with a history of doing well, in fact, they even named a position after hum. Makelele might be remembered for his time at Real Madrid but the Arsenal manager turned down the chance to sign a 23-year-old Makelele from Nantes and was happy with Vieira in the side, some of these players do slip away, insisted Wenger.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Manchester United from Sporting but he was supposed to join Arsenal. The Portuguese side though played United a friendly and Sir Alex Ferguson was so taken aback by the talent of the teen, he ensured that Manchester United got the man instead of Arsene Wenger.
Luis Suarez
The Uruguayan could have been an Arsenal star had the Gunners and Arsene Wenger not insulted Liverpool with their £40m +£1 deal. The Gunners were lacking a real star striker and could have won a couple of titles had they signed him but this deal too didn’t work out.
Lionel Messi
The current Barcelona star was linked with a move to Arsenal when he was 15 as the club had sent out scouts to watch him alongside other Barca stars such as Pique. They apparently even-handed Messi a contract but some things aren’t meant to be.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Probably the most famous player that Arsene Wenger had to deal with, Ibra was expected to join Arsenal from Malmo when he was 19 and Wenger wanted to see just what the Swede was capable of doing in a trail match. ‘Zlatan doesn’t do auditions’ and the rest as we know it is history.