Wenger's Biggest Transfer Regrets at Arsenal

Arsene Wenger left a big mark on Arsenal, winning three Premier League titles, including the famous unbeaten 2003/04 season, and seven FA Cups during his 22 years in charge.

But Wenger's legacy could have been even bigger.

During his time at Highbury and later the Emirates Stadium, Wenger nearly signed some of the biggest names in football. Many players who became legends elsewhere were at different times on Arsenal's radar.

Here is a remarkable list of stars who could have worn the famous red and white under Wenger.

Gianluigi Buffon, Goalkeeper

Gianluigi Buffon is one of the best goalkeepers of his time. Reports say he was on Arsenal's radar before moving from Parma to Juventus in 2001.

Buffon revealed he met Wenger for dinner in 1998 when he was just 20 years old.

Arsenal chose to stick with David Seaman and later Jens Lehmann, but the thought of Buffon in goal is one of Wenger's biggest missed chances.

Gerard Piqué, Right-back

Gerard Piqué is not usually thought of as a right-back, but Wenger wanted him at Arsenal.

Wenger said that Arsenal targeted Piqué along with Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi.

"We wanted to take Fabregas, Messi and Piqué. It worked only for Fabregas," Wenger said.

Fabregas became an important player for Arsenal, while Piqué went to Manchester United before returning to Barcelona, where he became one of the top defenders in the world.

Raphaël Varane, Centre-back

Raphaël Varane is another big defensive chance Arsenal missed.

Wenger noticed the French defender while he was developing at Lens, but Arsenal never sealed the deal.

Wenger admitted that Arsenal could have signed Varane before Real Madrid got him. Varane later won many trophies with Real Madrid and Manchester United, as well as the 2018 World Cup with France.

Vincent Kompany, Centre-back

Before becoming a star at Manchester City, Vincent Kompany was another defender Wenger liked.

Arsenal thought about him as a replacement for Sol Campbell in 2006, but Kompany ended up joining Hamburg.

His agent, Jacques Lichtenstein, later said that Wenger met him during this time.

Kompany then moved to Manchester City, where he became captain and won four Premier League titles.

Gareth Bale, Left-back

Gareth Bale's rise from promising left-back to global superstar makes this one especially interesting.

Wenger thought about signing Bale during his early days at Southampton but passed because Arsenal already had Ashley Cole and Gaël Clichy.

"We didn’t take him as we had Ashley Cole and Gaël Clichy and didn’t want another left-back," Wenger admitted later. "I must confess it was a huge mistake."

Bale became one of the biggest stars in football with Tottenham and Real Madrid.

Claude Makélélé, Central midfield

Claude Makélélé was another player who almost joined Arsenal.

Wenger said the French midfielder was close to signing for the club in 1996, shortly after Patrick Vieira arrived in north London.

"Claude Makélélé was close to signing for us," Wenger said.

Makélélé became one of the best defensive midfielders of his time, having major success with Real Madrid and Chelsea.

A midfield with Vieira and Makélélé would have been very strong.

Yaya Touré, Central midfield

Yaya Touré is one of Wenger's most famous transfer regrets.

The Ivorian midfielder trained with Arsenal and played in a pre-season match against Barnet, but the Gunners could not finish the deal.

Touré eventually went to Metalurh Donetsk before playing for Monaco, Barcelona, and Manchester City.

At City, he became one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, winning three league titles. Wenger admitted the missed chance but said it was complicated by work-permit and passport issues.

Lionel Messi, Right wing

Long before Lionel Messi became one of the greatest, Wenger wanted to sign the young Argentine.

The Gunners also chased Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Piqué from Barcelona's academy.

But Messi stayed at Barcelona and went on to have an amazing career there, moving to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami later.

Wenger said Messi was happy in Barcelona and did not really want to leave.

Ronaldinho, Attacking midfield

Ronaldinho was another superstar who almost became an Arsenal player.

Wenger met the Brazilian’s brother, who was also his agent, when Ronaldinho was about 20.

But England’s work-permit rules blocked the transfer because Ronaldinho had not played enough for Brazil.

He ended up at Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Barcelona, where he became one of the most entertaining players of his generation.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Left wing

The biggest missed chance of all might be Cristiano Ronaldo.

Wenger said Ronaldo visited Arsenal with his mother and they were close to signing him.

Manchester United ultimately won the race after Ronaldo impressed while playing for Sporting Lisbon.

“He was here with his mother and we were very close,” Wenger recalled.

The rest is football history.

Ronaldo became a global superstar at Manchester United and Real Madrid, winning many trophies and becoming one of the sport’s top scorers.

Kylian Mbappé, Striker

Wenger also came close to signing Kylian Mbappé, another future superstar.

As a teenager at Monaco, Mbappé caught the eye of many top clubs, with Wenger visiting his family while he thought about his future.

Wenger later said that Mbappé could have joined Arsenal for free.

“He could have come to Arsenal for free,” Wenger said.

Mbappé stayed in France, first with Monaco then Paris Saint-Germain, before becoming a leading player of his generation.

Other mentions

And the list could have been much longer.

Wenger also showed interest in players like Xabi Alonso, N’Golo Kanté, Paul Pogba, Eden Hazard, Ángel Di María, Karim Benzema, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, and Luis Suárez.