Arsenal have missed out on signing a number of world-class players in the past.
Famously, Arsenal were in the race to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, prior to his first stint at Manchester United.
Arsene Wenger also attempted to bring a young Zlatan Ibrahimovic to North London, and sought to snap up Kylian Mbappe whilst he was still on the books at Monaco.
Before any of those household names came close to donning the famous red and white, though, Ruud Gullit was on the club’s radar in 1981.
The Dutchman went on to have a glittering career, winning multiple league titles in the Netherlands and Italy, becoming a two-time Champions League winner with AC Milan, triumphing with his nation at Euro 88, and claiming a Ballon d’Or in 1987.
The 61-year-old did ultimately get his shot in the Premier League, ending his career at Chelsea, where he spent time as a player-manager.
Things could have been so different for the 66-cap former Netherlands international, though, had he been taken on by Arsenal as a teenager.
How Ruud Gullit almost joined Arsenal
A report from GiveMeSport has now told the tale of how Gullit almost joined the Gunners.
As a young player at Haarlem, Gullit generally played up front and was already a forward of dazzling quality. However, with the Dutch outfit facing financial trouble, then-Haarlem manager Barry Hughes offered the teenager to Arsenal, via his connection with the Gunners’ assistant manager Wilf Dixon.
However, Gullit failed to make a positive impression on trial, as Arsenal manager Terry Neill felt that the youngster: “Could obviously play a bit but was lazy and undisciplined, played when he wanted to and wouldn’t track back.”
Desperate to sell, Hughes tried to convince Neill that Gullit was capable of far more than he had shown in that one match that the Arsenal coaches watched. The player was then offered to the North Londoners for just £200,000.
It is thought that Hughes could even have been talked down to a fee of around £80,000. In the end, though, this was not an opportunity taken by Arsenal.
Gullit went on to live up to his potential, and the rest is history.
Arsenal keen to invest in youth
Nowadays, any fan would like to think that Mikel Arteta wouldn’t repeat Neill’s mistake. Certainly, the Spanish coach has shown a willingness to invest both his faith and transfer funds in youth.
Arteta has promised Ethan Nwaneri that he will get game time this season if he earns it. The Hale End academy wonderkid could be the next big thing at the Emirates Stadium, but will need to possess maturity beyond his years on order to take his chance.
Gullit, after all, was not rejected by Arsenal due to his footballing ability, but rather question marks over his attitude. In that sense, Arteta may well have made the same mistake, as he is not known to be blasé about such matters.
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