Arsene Wenger regrets not signing Chelsea player during his time as Arsenal boss

Arsene Wenger regrets not signing Chelsea player during his time as Arsenal boss

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he regrets missing out on the opportunity to re-sign French striker Nicolas Anelka when he had the chance in 2008.

Anelka had a spell with the Gunners between 1996-99 before moving on to Real Madrid, but he became available again in 2008 while at Bolton Wanderers.

Wenger considered a swoop for Anelka but the striker went on to join Chelsea, where he scored 59 goals over five seasons and won a Premier League and two FA Cups.

Speaking about the player to The Tuesday Club podcast, Wenger admitted: “Maybe (it was the wrong decision). He wanted to come back. Maybe it was a mistake.

“I felt that they would then have a hesitation to leave. I didn’t give them the feeling of ‘ok I go somewhere else, I try it and if it doesn’t work I come back’.

“That’s why I didn’t do it and overall maybe I should have done it. Nicolas still scored in 125 games overall in the Premier League I think, something like that, so he could have helped us.”

Related articles

Share article

Latest articles

Newsletter

Subscribe to stay updated.