Sport nationREAL MADRID MIDFIELDER FEDERICO VALVERDE SAYS HE WAS ONCE VERY CLOSE TO SIGNING FOR ARSENAL
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde has admitted that he was once very close to signing for Arsenal.
The Uruguay international has established himself as one of the best players in his position in recent seasons after becoming a key player for the La Liga club.
However, Valverde could have been lining up for the Gunners had things gone differently.
The 25-year-old was asked on TikTok which team he was close to playing for, and he claimed it was Arsenal.
Valverde revealed last month that he had a trial with the North Londoners while Arsene Wenger was in the dugout, but the club rejected the chance to sign him and he joined Madrid shortly afterwards.
When asked about his stint at Arsenal, the Uruguayan spoke about the impact former Gunners forward Alexis Sanchez had on him at the club.
“I have always been grateful to him,” Valverde said about Sanchez ahead of the World Cup qualifiers between Chile and Uruguay in September.
“When I went to train at Arsenal, Alexis was there and he was one of the few who came up to help me.
“I will always be grateful to him because, being a nobody, I was well-received by him. He was there to help me when I was a kid. As a footballer, he is an incredible player.”
Arsenal missed out on some top players under Wenger, and Valverde can now be added to that list.
The South American made the switch to Madrid from Penarol in 2016 after having a week-long trial at London Colney and has since won two La Liga titles and one Champions League, weighing in with 19 goals and 18 assists in 215 games after making his debut in 2018-19.
Most of the players who were once close to joining Arsenal under Wenger have retired, with the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Gerard Pique, Vincent Kompany, Gareth Bale, Yaya Toure, Ronaldinho, Claude Makelele, Eden Hazard, Xabi Alonso, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic some of them.
Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane, N’Golo Kante, Angel Di Maria, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Kylian Mbappe were also close to joining Arsenal at one point or the other, but it was not to be.
REAL MADRID MIDFIELDER FEDERICO VALVERDE SAYS HE WAS ONCE VERY CLOSE TO SIGNING FOR ARSENAL
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde has admitted that he was once very close to signing for Arsenal.
The Uruguay international has established himself as one of the best players in his position in recent seasons after becoming a key player for the La Liga club.
However, Valverde could have been lining up for the Gunners had things gone differently.
The 25-year-old was asked on TikTok which team he was close to playing for, and he claimed it was Arsenal.
Valverde revealed last month that he had a trial with the North Londoners while Arsene Wenger was in the dugout, but the club rejected the chance to sign him and he joined Madrid shortly afterwards.
When asked about his stint at Arsenal, the Uruguayan spoke about the impact former Gunners forward Alexis Sanchez had on him at the club.
“I have always been grateful to him,” Valverde said about Sanchez ahead of the World Cup qualifiers between Chile and Uruguay in September.
“When I went to train at Arsenal, Alexis was there and he was one of the few who came up to help me.
“I will always be grateful to him because, being a nobody, I was well-received by him. He was there to help me when I was a kid. As a footballer, he is an incredible player.”
Arsenal missed out on some top players under Wenger, and Valverde can now be added to that list.
The South American made the switch to Madrid from Penarol in 2016 after having a week-long trial at London Colney and has since won two La Liga titles and one Champions League, weighing in with 19 goals and 18 assists in 215 games after making his debut in 2018-19.
Most of the players who were once close to joining Arsenal under Wenger have retired, with the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Gerard Pique, Vincent Kompany, Gareth Bale, Yaya Toure, Ronaldinho, Claude Makelele, Eden Hazard, Xabi Alonso, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic some of them.
Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane, N’Golo Kante, Angel Di Maria, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Kylian Mbappe were also close to joining Arsenal at one point or the other, but it was not to be.
Sport nation
Amina Umar