Arsenal have had their fair share of near misses in the transfer market over the years.
Arsene Wenger had a tremendous eye for talent when he was the manager, but he could easily write a book on players he almost signed.
Names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, N’Golo Kante, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were all pursued by the legendary Frenchman, which shows how close Arsenal have come to signing some of the best players in the world.
Now, former Gunners scout Luis Boa Morte has revealed that he recommended four players to the North London giants, including Ruben Dias, but his suggestions were ignored.
Arsene Wenger tried to sign these players and missed out. If you could bring one to Arsenal today, in their prime, who are you choosing and why?
Big names Arsene Wenger tried to sign for Arsenal and failed:
- Lionel Messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- N’Golo Kante
- Gareth Bale
- Jamie Vardy
Former scout Luis Boa Morte says he recommended Ruben Dias and three others to Arsenal
Boa Morte returned to Arsenal in 2015 as a scout for the Portuguese market, and he was tasked with identifying top talent.
During that time, the former Portugal international claims that he urged the Gunners to sign a few players who have become popular names since.
However, Arsenal chose not to act on his recommendations.
Speaking about the situation, Boa Morte said, as per Sportwitness: “I returned to Arsenal as a scout for the Portuguese market.
“I recommended players like Pedro Neto, Ederson, Ruben Dias, and Gedson Fernandes.”
That is a strong list of names, especially the two associated with Manchester City.
Dias went on to become one of the best defenders in the Premier League, while Ederson was also unbelievable during his time at the Etihad.
Arsenal should have no regrets about rejecting Boa Morte’s suggestions
At first glance, it may look like Arsenal made a mistake by not signing those players. However, looking at things more closely, that is not really the case.
Neto was great at Wolves, but he has struggled to make a consistent impact at Chelsea and has not lived up to expectations.
Fernandes was viewed as a wonderkid at one point, but he hasn’t delivered. He had a disappointing spell at Tottenham and currently plays his football in Russia at Spartak Moscow.
Dias is a top defender, but Arsenal already have William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, and we think they are much better than the Manchester City man.
Ederson is the only one where there could be a debate, but even then, David Raya has proven to be an excellent option, and we wouldn’t swap him for anyone else.
For those reasons, Arsenal shouldn’t have any regrets over snubbing Boa Morte’s recommendations.
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