Arsenal players who nearly signed for the club offer one of the most fascinating ‘what ifs’ in football history.
Across different eras, the Gunners came close to landing some of the biggest names in the game. In many cases, those deals collapsed late; however, those same players went on to define entire generations elsewhere.
Here is an Arsenal XI of players who nearly signed for the Gunners, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and several global superstars.
Goalkeeper
Gianluigi Buffon represents one of Arsenal’s earliest missed opportunities.
Arsène Wenger explored the possibility of signing the Italian during his early Parma years. However, Buffon stayed in Italy and went on to become one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time with Juventus.
Defence
Arsenal came close to signing Vincent Kompany before he joined Manchester City, where he became a Premier League icon.
Gerard Piqué also attracted interest during his early career before returning to Barcelona and establishing himself as one of Europe’s elite defenders.
Raphael Varane was monitored before his move to Real Madrid, while Virgil van Dijk was considered during his Celtic days before Southampton and Liverpool moved ahead.
Midfield
Yann M’Vila became one of the most talked about Arsenal targets during the early 2010’s, with the club heavily linked across multiple windows; however, a move never materialised despite strong interest. Despite the sustained interest, Arsenal ultimately moved in different directions, and M’Vila’s career took a different path to what many expected at the time, including a transfer to Sunderland.
Yaya Touré is another notable case. Wenger knew him well through his brother and former Arsenal defender, Kolo Touré and even trialled him; however, work permit issues blocked the move.
Xabi Alonso also came incredibly close in 2008, but the transfer collapsed late. He later joined Real Madrid and became one of the best midfielders of his generation.
Attack
Cristiano Ronaldo remains the most famous near miss in Arsenal history.
Arsène Wenger agreed a deal in principle with Sporting Lisbon before Manchester United intervened. Wenger later admitted it was one of the deals that got away. Ronaldo would go on to become one of the greatest players ever.
Karim Benzema was heavily linked for years, particularly during his time at Real Madrid. Despite repeated interest, Arsenal never secured the deal.
Antoine Griezmann is another major name Arsenal came close to signing. During his time at Real Sociedad, talks took place with the Gunners before he moved to Atlético Madrid, where he developed into a world-class attacker and World Cup winner. Griezmann himself later confirmed discussions had taken place.
Zlatan Ibrahimović even had a trial at Arsenal; however, he rejected the opportunity, later stating: “Zlatan doesn’t do trials.”
Luis Suárez also belongs in this category. Arsenal submitted a £40m + £1 bid during his Liverpool days; however, the move failed and he later joined Barcelona, where he became one of the world’s best strikers.
Conclusion
Arsenal players who nearly signed continues to spark debate among supporters.
Had even a handful of these deals been completed, the club’s history could look very different today.
Some of these deals still feel difficult to believe.
Instead, these near misses remain part of Arsenal’s story; reminders of how fine the margins can be at the very top of football.