Wenger: Why I couldn’t sign Higuain
Arsene Wenger has revealed that the difficulty in completing transfer deals is why certain players have failed to arrive at clubs they were linked to.
Ahead of the summer, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Morgan Schneiderlin were at the top of the list of players who were bound for Arsenal.
However, the duo and other stars who were once odds-on to join the Gunners have found new clubs elsewhere as Inter Milan welcomed Kondogbia while Schneiderlin joined Manchester United.
Despite the high-profile recruits of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech, Arsenal have been associated with a number of failed high-profile signings over the years with Gonzalo Higuain’s move to Napoli in 2013 the most notable.
But Wenger insists that the process of finishing a transfer deal is more complex than what is suggested in newspapers.
“It is hard, believe me, to get a deal over the line. It’s difficult as well if you’re not completely inside the deal, to know what happens,” the Arsenal boss said
“Did the player not want to go?”
There were no reports of an official Arsenal bid for the likes Kondogbia and Schneiderlin ahead their moves, but Wenger did express his interest in the Frenchmen during press-conferences.
More players have been linked to the Gunners as transfer deadline day edges closer, but Wenger claims he is unfazed by pressure from the public to make new signings.
“If I just listen to people’s opinion, many players who have signed here starting with Vieira, Anelka and Henry would never have signed here at the end of the day. I have to make the decisions.” he added
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Wenger is an obstinate man. Maybe it’s not true but there is a strong rumour from the Emirates that he is a major ditherer and has lost players by faffing rather than bidding. Welbeck was a case of having to buy at the last moment. He bumbled into Welbeck. It amazes me how other managers get transfers over the line but not our Arsene. Where other managers give players faith by direct intervention Wenger in the main does not. In the cases he does contact players it had payed dividends. Players respond to feeling wanted. The time he went to Italy on deadline day to ref a charity match made me think he was not as responsible as I had been led to believe. Some people believe in Wenger as a God. I see him as the nearest being to Mr Bean when it comes to the transfer window dealings. He is though, a great coach and treats his players with great respect. And it is clear they have a deep regard for him.
Armchair kiddo with strong emotion towards Arsene.
I can see by your statement that you don’t know much about the administrative aspect of football. Me.wenger is not an administrator or a contract negotiator but a manager. He is one of the decision makers and not the decision maker. Also if a club does not want to sell to you, they will not give you permision to talk to the player ok phone or meetings. There are lots that happens before a player is bought or sold.
mr. Arsene never lacks excuses,sometimes,though i dislike maureen,u just have 2 love him
It’s easy to be decisive in the transfer market when you can outbid everyone else on both fee and wages. That’s why Mourinho dislikes Wenger so much, he can’t stand it that in world football (professionals not fans) Wenger is a more respected coach than he is. That’s because Mourinho is a chequebook manager and needs a fortune to win a trophy.
As far as I know Wenger has never done any of the negotiations for players. He chooses the players and sometimes will meet them to give it a personal touch, but the negotiations and suchlike are done by others. Originally David Dein, and recently Dick Law.
I think people forget that before the stadium enforced poverty, Wenger used to buy plenty of players every year. It’s was only the period of no money that things started stalling. I’d put that down to the club being cheap rather than Wenger not wanting players.
Now we have a bit more cash again we have bought a big player both summers. I still expect one this summer, but in the merry go round of deadline day.
Is going to buying players or not Cozt many rumors is true they hair private jet to bring benzema from Spain to come and have medical on Monday please let believe in you if is true will so love him to come and give us trophy Cozt there’s know striker for gunners
Wenger is a good coach but I think He is the type of person that does not care about how the fans feels. He seems to have forgotten that the fans are the reason why they are there, anyway I am used to the way he does his own deal so I think there is no course for further alarm.
Yes i agree with every ones opinion in as much as i am a die hard arsenal fan too. but i think we need to stand by him and also have the faith that he will lead us to the promise land we all crave for. thanks all Gunners
its just the whole arsenal team which is indecisive, sluggish and not straight. You will read the happenings in the arsenal team elsewhere like selling, loaning, buying, injuries, operations etc but arsenal will never report until they are history. its like the outsides get the news before arsenal officials. ha ha! its strange. Its after yrs that you hear, we approached, we wanted, we bid for ronaldo, eto, yaya, etc
Wenger should leave Arsenal so that Klopp will take it. MR. WENGER IS CONSECUTIVE and he does not change while football changes
think people need to realise that signing a player isnt that easy as people think. he himself hijacked patrick viera’s move to ajax prior to his arrival at arsenal back in 1996. viera was in amsterdam at the hotel waiting to go and sign. those clubs with deep pockets dont have this issue as there is no wage structure and fee issues.
with higuain, i was gutted we didnt get him as he was excellent at madrid some of the goals he scored were amazing , but when mourinho took over he lost that flair and being clinical, which was evident at the world cup final last year and this years south american championship
still an upgrade on giroud though
too say wenger doesnt care about the fans is very naive , he rejected real madrid and barcelona to stay with arsenal even though he knew the challenge he would have with the move to the emirates stadium.
we have adelaide, zelalem, gnabry, cowley, maintland niles, hayden, akpom, iwobi – some of those have gone on loan to get experience and will be first teamers in the next couple of years.
when wenger does leave he will leave us far healthier place than ferguson left utd
he may never win the league again or the champs league but he has taken us to another level with sensible spending, maybe his predecessor will achieve more and everything – but it will be all owed to wenger.
pep guardiola came to arsenal for his coaching badges , bayern munich , visited wenger to see how he develops the youth and his style of play, so he must have done something right.
Wenger must change football nowadays has changed. Until he changes arsenal will never EPL or champions league. The case Juan Mata before he join chelsea is an example. Please BABA wenger your ideology. Some decoder need the latest software likewise arsen wenger need update. He must change or his pholiphy will definitely back fire.
Its only when it comes 2 arsenal that its not easy 2 sign a player! Hw’re the other clubs doing it? This is getting reset boring n annoying!
If Wenger is not responsible for signing players then he shouldn’t take credit for Henry and the other players he mentioned.
Wenger is the best manager in my opinion but the only problem wth him is as nasri once said, he always wnts perfection in a player he wnts to sign. he wnts a player who will instantly change other than adapting, the other thing is favouritism. he favours certain players especially french.
Wenger dis & dat..Dont 4get dat he’s an employee whose desires & needs can be over-ruled by d board..Wenger used 2nd tier team 2 maintain a constant top4..Hand such a team 2 ur overglorified Moneynho or ur L.V.G & see wat they wud achieve..To put it mildly Wenger has failed in any of his yearly set objective..
IN WENGER I TRUST..