Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been trying to sign a lot of talented stars in the current transfer window, as he looks to win the Premier League title once again and provide a proper challenge for the Champions League as well. The Gunners ended yet another trophyless season, with a second spot finish behind Leicester City in the points table. In order to improve on that, the French manager was keen on adding more players to his squad.
The front-line has been a problem, with Olivier Giroud the only player to perform for most of last season, though his goal drought hurt the north London giants eventually.
In order to guarantee that the same mistakes are not repeated, Wenger tried to sign 29 year old England international Jamie Vardy from the Foxes. However, recently it was confirmed that the attacker had signed a new deal with the club, which would see him remain at the KP Stadium.
Vardy was surely a match-winner and his refusal to move to the Emirates, will hurt the Londoners’ ambitions to win titles in the long run.
This has now become a trend with the Arsenal boss, who has done this time and time again and here are five game-changing deals from the past few years that the Frenchman has failed to complete:
5. Luis Suarez:
This was the deal that could have made a huge difference back in 2013, had Wenger completed it. Suarez had just moved to Anfield in 2011 and was slowly settling down at the club, with some good performances. Arsenal were in need of more attacking options up front, since they had lost skipper Robin van Persie in the previous campaign and had the funds to buy the Uruguay international. Wenger bid an amount of £40m plus £1 to activate talks, though Liverpool considered him worth £55m and the deal did not happen. Further, he was not signed even when he left the Reds a year later and made his move to the Nou Camp, probably due to the ban that he picked up in the World Cup. One decision which could have made such a huge difference for Arsenal, as the player has now already shown his worth at Barcelona.
4. Eden Hazard:
It was revealed by Wenger in an interview in 2014, that the Gunners were close to signing Belgian international Eden Hazard back in 2012, prior to his move to Stamford Bridge. Arsenal had made an offer for the 25 year old winger, much like their London rivals, who eventually signed him for a fee of £32m back then. Hazard was named the PFA Player of the Year in the 2014-15 season, for his 13 goals and eight assists, which saw the Blues win the Premier League title that term. Further, he also contributed to their League Cup triumph and has been an integral part of the team. Just imagine him at the Emirates, alongside Ozil and Sanchez!!
3. Gonzalo Higuain:
Arsenal had the chance of signing Argentine international Gonzalo Higuain, on quite a few occasions, including prior to the start of the 2015-16 season. The French manager could have tested Napoli’s patience with a big money bid and signed the former Real Madrid man to boost his chances of winning titles. The player was not just linked with the club in the past, but is a target now as well, with reports suggesting the possibility of a potential deal this summer. However, it is still not clear why this deal has not gone through so far, as the English giants are clearly in need of a striker and the 28 year old attacker is in superb goal scoring form.
2. Karim Benzema:
Wenger’s confidence in Giroud or over-confidence led him to believe that his side did not need a player like the former Lyon man last summer. It was said by the Arsenal boss himself that he did not sign Benzema, due to the presence of his compatriot amongst the Arsenal ranks, whom Wenger believed to be a world-class striker. It is not that Giroud is not a good player, but every striker has some limitations and the Frenchman, who is currently representing his national side at the Euros, just got tired of carrying so much responsibility on his shoulders with so support from the likes of Theo Walcott and an injured Danny Welbeck. Had we signed Benzema, things would have surely been a lot different.
1. Morgan Schneiderlin:
This was actually stupid on Wenger’s part. Knowing that the former Southampton man was a good player and wanted by rivals Manchester United, this deal should have never failed. The 26 year old defensive midfielder could have been a great asset to the team, rather than playing the likes of Flamini and Arteta, who were way past their prime. Wenger kept stalling this deal, as he was not certain whether a fee of £25m for his target, would be worth the money or not. Eventually Manchester United stepped in and took him away, with the player completing a move to Old Trafford back in 2015. Though the player did not do much under Van Gaal, he could have been the perfect player to fit into Wenger’s tactics and could have helped Arsenal win the title last season.
Thank God we signed Lord Bendtner!!