Arsenal reportedly tried to sign a highly talented young player in 2020 who has now become one of the most valuable players in world football.
Arsenal’s recruitment in recent years has been excellent, with Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba all shining examples.
That’s a testament to their vast scouting network, which has really come on strong under Mikel Arteta’s stewardship.
Club chief Edu has also played a major role in that and soon, possibly even this season, it will lead to silverware.
Though, they must really regret one deal that they failed to get over the line four years ago.
Arsenal missed out on Bayer Leverkusen forward Florian Wirtz
Former Arsenal scout Yousuf Sajjad revealed that the club tried to sign Florian Wirtz when he was aged 16 in 2020.
Wirtz’s deal at Koln was coming to an end and The Gunners were aware of how talented he was but couldn’t convince him and his representatives to make a move to England.
They instead made the decision to join Bayer Leverkusen – a city residing just 11 miles down the road – where he could focus on his education alongside his playing career.
And, as they say, the rest is history, with the now 21-year-old establishing himself as ‘one of the best’ players in the world.
Wirtz has netted 18 goals while laying on 19 assists for the Bundesliga champions this term, taking his total goal contributions to a mesmeric 37.
The cost of Florian Wirtz this summer transfer window
Now, any club wanting to sign the 2003-born maverick will have to outlay a whopping £128m, according to the German club’s CEO Fernando Carro.
Per Caught Offside, Arsenal are interested in making a second attempt to sign him, though, they face stiff competition from Real Madrid and Liverpool.
At this stage, with the Premier League’s strict Financial Fair Play rules, it seems unlikely that the North Londoners will be able to spend over £100m on a player this summer without letting a key asset depart or moving on at least four of five players.