Arsene Wenger famously came close to signing some of the best players ever during his time at Arsenal, and many slipped through the net.
In another world, Arsenal could have had Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi in their ranks if not for deals collapsing in the early stages of their careers.
Diego Maradona could have even become a Gunner in 1982 but the move was blocked, and 21 years later, Arsenal faced similar frustration with Yaya Toure.
Kolo Toure was an already established member of the Arsenal squad, but in 2003, Wenger decided to bring his brother Yaya on trial, and he wore the famous red and white shirt in a 0-0 friendly draw with non-league side Barnet FC.
Yaya Toure had a trial with Arsenal in 2003
On 19th July 2003, two trialists were included in the Arsenal starting lineup for their friendly clash with Barnet: Beveren midfielder Yaya Toure and Cannes left-back Gael Clichy.
Toure did not have a defined position yet, and he actually played as a striker in the second half. He did not do much in the game to convince Wenger that he would go on to become a Premier League legend, and he headed the clearest chance of the game wide after a cross from Quincy Owusu-Abeyie.
Nevertheless, Wenger still wanted to sign him, despite later describing his display as “completely average,” but there were obstacles which would ultimately prevent the move.
“He was completely average on the day,” Wenger stated years later.
“He is a top-class player. We knew that at the time he would be a top-class player. The only problem with Yaya Toure was to fix him into a position because he can play everywhere.
“He can play centre-back, as a second striker, as a midfielder and for a long time we didn’t know where to play him.
Why Arsenal could not sign Yaya Toure in 2003
Despite his unimpressive display, Arsenal reached an agreement with Toure over a deal which would have seen him join his brother at Highbury.
However, there were issues over Toure’s work permit, and he then moved to Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk instead.
Wenger since admitted that failing to sign Toure was one of his biggest regrets.
“It would be up at the top [of my list of regrets],” he stated in 2013.
“But let’s not forget that Yaya Toure had an agreement with us – and it’s not because we did not want to sign him that he went to Ukraine.
“We needed to wait for his passport in Belgium. We have made mistakes but he is not a mistake, it’s just the fact that he preferred to go to Metalurh Donetsk. He could go there without any passport.”
Toure went on to play for Barcelona and Manchester City, where he would eventually link up with Kolo, who described playing with his brother as the pinnacle of his career.
“It was special. For me it was the best moment of my career I would say, having Yaya with me,” he recently revealed.
For years, Arsenal struggled to replace Patrick Vieira, but Yaya Toure was the closest thing to him, and had they managed to get him over the line, Wenger might have tasted more title success following the departure of the Frenchman in 2005.
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