9. Gareth Bale to Arsenal
Arsenal had the chance to sign Gareth Bale from Southampton in 2006 in the same deal that brought Theo Walcott to Emirates Stadium, but Arsene Wenger decided against it due to his options at left back.
“We didn’t take him [Gareth Bale] as we had Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy and didn’t want another left-back,” confirmed Arsene Wenger.
“I must confess it was a huge mistake as he can play in midfield. He struggled at the start at Tottenham, then they moved him to midfield and he has done exceptionally well.
“The career of a player sometimes depends on playing in the right position.”
Bale – an Arsenal fan, incidentally – developed into one of the very best attacking midfielders in the world, and moved to Real Madrid for a world record fee earlier this summer.
Read more Arsenal transfer news.
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