Xabi Alonso has revealed to the English press that he would’ve left Liverpool for Arsenal back in 2009 if the Gunners had paid an extra £3 million. The Spanish midfielder was unsettled at the time and a move to the Emirates was very nearly on the cards (via The Express).
You could build the best __football team on the planet made up entirely of all the players Arsene Wenger has almost signed over the years.
From Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi, the Frenchman has had more than his fair share of almost-deals.
Well, now you can add another name to that list after Xabi Alonso confirmed that he nearly signed for the club too. The midfielder wasn’t a young player at the time, this was back in 2009 when he was at Liverpool, but he would’ve signed for Arsenal but for one detail.
“I was really close to Juventus and I was close to Arsenal”, he told the Liverpool Echo.
“But, it was just £3m. Liverpool were asking £18m and both offered £15m – so that’s why it didn’t happen.”
The fact that Arsenal missed out on Xabi Alonso for the sake of £3 million will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many Gunners fans. Alonso eventually left for Real Madrid, winning the Champions League with the Spanish giants before moving to Bayern Munich where he has helped his side dominate in Germany.
Xabi Alonso would have been an exceptional signing for Arsenal and would probably still be a crucial part of the side. He possesses many of the attributes which the Gunners have been missing in the last few years from the midfield so the fact that the team could’ve had them for the sake of £3 million is disappointing.