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The superstar striker who Arsene Wenger admitted he really regretted not signing for Arsenal after almost getting him
Arsenal have had some high-profile transfer failures over the years.
Indeed, Arsenal failed to sign Gerard Pique as a youngster, while Ruud Gullit was on trial at Arsenal at one point too.
Clarence Seedorf almost signed for Arsenal at one point, but that deal didn’t go ahead either.
Arsene Wenger had a reputation for missing out on these star players, and back in 2006, the Frenchman admitted that he regretted not signing one of the biggest names in world football at the age of just 16.
Indeed, Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a trial at Arsenal as a teenager, but he chose to join Ajax instead, a move that Wenger would seriously live to regret.
Arsene Wenger’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic regret
Speaking to in 2006, Wenger admitted that he was very disappointed by his failure to sign Ibrahimovic.
The manager admitted that he regretted not being able to sign Ibrahimovic, claiming that he had become one of the best strikers in Europe after snubbing Arsenal.
“He was here at 16 but he chose to go to Ajax, which was a big disappointment because I wanted to sign him as a youngster,” said Wenger.
“I regret not being able to sign him very much because he is a very talented player and he has made a big reputation for himself within Europe as one of the best strikers of his type.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic record vs Arsenal after snub
Ibrahimovic decided against signing for Arsenal as a teenager, and it’s fair to say the Gunners lived to regret not signing the Swedish forward.
Indeed, Zlatan would become one of the best strikers in the world, scoring over 500 career goals.
On top of that, Ibrahimovic would cause Arsenal plenty of problems in the years that followed in the Champions League.
Indeed, Ibrahomivic played against Arsenal seven times in Europe for four different clubs, and he scored three vital goals that ultimately contributed to Arsenal’s elimination on two separate occasions.
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic record vs Arsenal | |
|---|---|
| Games | 7 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 3 |
Wenger dropped the ball with a number of potential signings over the years, and perhaps this was his biggest blunder of them all.
Interestingly, Ibrahimovic would go on to play alongside Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry at Barcelona, and those two never actually lost a game they played together.
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic record alongside Thierry Henry | |
|---|---|
| Games | 21 |
| Wins | 16 |
| Draws | 5 |
| Losses | 0 |
Ibrahimovic would’ve been a star at Arsenal, and he eventually became a Premier League ace at Manchester United, but, unfortunately, it just wasn’t to be for the Gunners and Ibrahimovic.