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Football

13th Feb 2019

Arsene Wenger reveals how close he came to signing Jadon Sancho for Arsenal

Add this to the long list of players Arsene Wenger almost signed, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Yaya Toure, Zatan Ibrahimović and N'Golo Kanté

Reuben Pinder

Another name on the long list of players he almost signed

Jadon Sancho did not have the best night on Wednesday, as his Borussia Dortmund side were outclassed by a Kane-less Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, losing 3-0.

But nevertheless, Sancho is one of the brightest talents in world football. The teenager moved from Watford up to Manchester City’s academy as a youngster, before taking a leap into the unknown when he signed for Dortmund in 2017. That risk has more than paid off, as the tricky winger continues to rack up the assists and score the odd goal in the Bundesliga.

And just like so many other players young players who rise to the top, Arsène Wenger once tried to sign him, because of course he did. It’s become a running joke that Wenger almost signed every top player for Arsenal. There is even a hashtag #WengerTries borne from the joke.

The current list of players he almost or could have signed includes Yaya Toure, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimović and N’Golo Kanté, among others.

Tonight, that list got longer, as Wenger revealed that he came close to signing Sancho while speaking as a pundit on beIN Sports.

“It’s an incredible story,” Wenger explains.

“The pressure now on these young boys from an early age is very big. The second thing is the pressure from all the clubs. I say that freely because I wanted to take him from Man City when he didn’t get the games, I tried as well to lure him… because he’s from London, I tried to get him to Arsenal.”

https://twitter.com/AFCPW/status/1095776070903697416

Ah well, at least Arsenal aren’t in any trouble of losing their key players to foreign clubs who can pay their stars higher wages.