Arsene Wenger reveals the two players he regrets not signing the most as Arsenal boss

Arsene Wenger: transfer genius

In the Premier League era, there have been few better eyes for talent than Arsene Wenger.

The legendary boss made a habit of turning another club’s unwanted goods into stars in their own right, first at Highbury and then at The Emirates stadium.

Most notable among those was Patrick Vieira, signed from Milan after a failed spell in Italy, while Thierry Henry’s reinvention as a striker rather than a winger was also chief among the achievements.

Even at a lower level, the likes of Kolo Toure, Jens Lehmann and Lauren, all part of the famous invincible squad, were signed for a pittance, with Wenger willing to take a chance on them when few others were.

However, for as many hits as the Frenchman had, there were plenty of near misses.

Reports range from missing out on Luis Suarez with the infamous 40 million and one pound bid, while the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Yaya Toure and Gareth Bale were also revealed as players that Wenger was unable to get over the line in the transfer market.

Wenger reveals the two players he regrets not signing the most

Now, speaking on The Sports Bible’s Youtube channel, Arsene Wenger has revealed the two players in his Arsenal stint that he regrets not signing the most, and reveals how close they were to completing the deals.

Asked by fellow Arsenal legend Ian Wright, Wenger said:

“Certainly Cristiano Ronaldo. I thought it was possible, and if we had been a fraction quicker, a few days. We had agreed, and Man United came in five or six days later, so I would say at the start of my career, Cristiano Ronaldo.  

However, the Arsenal man also explained another, perhaps surprise choice for who else he missed out on, revealing:

“At the end of my career, N’Golo Kante. It was easy because he played in a club in Paris where one of my best friends is director and he told me “Please, I have a player, he’s unbelieveable, nobody wants him in France”. 

“He took him in his car and travelled with him from club to club and finally, a division 3 club in France took N’golo Kante”

Had Arsenal managed to pull of that pair of signings, it is safe to say that they could find themselves worlds apart from their current situation.

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