It’s one of Arsene Wenger’s most famous shortcomings as a manager, alongside never winning the Champions League. The Frenchman is famous for identifying promising young players, but failing to sign them only to watch them become household names in the sport.
Some of the players who got away from Le Prof include Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Yaya Toure, just to name a few. Wenger’s side could have conquered Europe with a few of those players on his team.
The 68-year-old manager, currently facing the toughest spell of his tenure, now revealed another up-and-coming player whom he tried to sign over the summer but failed. That man is none other than Monaco starlet Kylian Mbappe.
The forward is only 18 years old, but is already being likened to Thierry Henry – a Gunners legend who made a name for himself at Les Rouges et Blancs. With 13 goals under his belt, Mbappe is not short of suitors.
However, it was the north London outfit that made the first move. Wenger admitted he attempted to sign him over the summer, but gave little insight as to why a move never materialized.
He said (as per The Metro): “I approached him last year because I really believe that he has an exceptional future ahead of him.
“Unfortunately today, all these young players are in full view from very, very early on and all the big clubs want them.
“I hope the fact that everybody is already talking of nobody but him isn’t going to have a negative impact on his future.”
This will do little to help ease fans who are unhappy with the manager and asking for his resignation.
