Arsenal: Kylian Mbappe regret piles on the pain

Arsene Wenger has revealed that he was very close to signing Kylian Mbappe. The regrets only pile on the pain that a miserable Arsenal season brings.

How many star players have Arsenal nearly signed? It is seemingly a weekly ritual in which Arsene Wenger, when relentlessly hounded about possible signings, will raise the need to scout players at a younger age, identifying and acquiring talent earlier in their development, before raising a now established star as a prime example, one that he failed to secure their signature when they were at the tender (and cheap) age of 16.

There are a host of famous examples throughout the years: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Yaya Toure, N’Golo Kante. All have been close to securing a move to North London, only for Wenger to hesitate and their careers to take off elsewhere.

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And now, there is another to add to the list. When asked about the meteoric rise of Kylian Mbappe and whether he would be interested in signing the Monaco sensation, to which Wenger did admit he is, Arsenal’s often infuriating manager told a story from last summer where he had talks with Mbappe, trying to convince him to move to England, something that he was, marginally, unable to do:

"“The player would tell you that I was at his home last year to try to get him here. Because he was at the end of [his] contract but Monaco managed to keep him and the decision was very, very tight. But I could understand it as well because he was educated there and at the end decided to stay there.”"

It is a great shame that a deal was never completed given the talents of the player and the success that he has enjoyed in his first, fully-fledged season at the senior level. He has scored a remarkable 18 goals in 19 starts, 17 of which came as a central striker and two in an attacking midfield role. He has also scored five goals in five Champions League starts, including against Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund in the knockout stages.

He is a remarkably gifted player, one that has the talent to revolutionise and galvanise a stagnating and rotting squad like Arsenal’s. But he is not at the Gunners, and now it is likely that he never will be, given Wenger’s admission that the market will price out any realistic move for his services.

Next: Arsenal: 5 Transfers attainable without Champions League football

After perhaps the worst season since Wenger’s hiring in 1996, the revelation of failing to sign a generational talent like Mbappe only adds to the pain. It has been a desperately disappointing year.

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