Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger did have an outstanding tenure at the club, but even he has admitted his frustration at some of the superstars he missed out on signing.
Wenger’s eye for talent saw him spot the likes of Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas and develop them into top-class players, and Arsenal could have seen even more superstars at the Emirates.
The Frenchman has spoken about how close he came to signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in the past, and despite Arsenal already lighting up North London early on in his tenure, they could have perhaps won even more with such talents in their team.
A lesser-known signing they missed out on is that of current Genoa star Albert Gudmundsson, who has now been linked with top European clubs.
The versatile attacking midfielder has had an outstanding campaign in Serie A, scoring 13 and assisting three times, and was even compared to Mohamed Salah by former teammate Kevin Strootman.
“He reminds me of Salah when he was at Roma, in that every now and then he disappears. Much like Salah then, he would have four or five chances per match and only score at most one,” he stated in 2023.
“They used to say that if Salah was more clinical, he would be playing for Liverpool, and that is exactly what happened. All joking aside, Gudmundsson is a devastating player and also an exemplary professional.”
Albert Gudmundsson could have joined Arsenal as a youth player
Speaking to The Telegraph, Gudmundsson revealed that he had even visited Arsenal’s training facilities as a young player but a move never materialised for him to move to the Emirates.
“I went there four or five times when I was about 15. It was over two years and the academies in England are crazy with such good facilities,” he stated.
“The director of the academy at the time was Liam Brady and he took a lot of care of me and my father and treated us really well.
“We went a couple of times to Liverpool but my father and I decided to take the first step to Holland. I don’t know if it was right or wrong, I don’t think there is one right answer, but we thought it would be best for my career at that time. It can be a long way to the first-team from the youth team in England.”
Albert Gudmundsson has a long-term Arsenal connection
Gudmundsson also revealed that his great-grandfather of the same name, was actually Arsenal’s second-ever foreign player, who played as a winger during the 1940s, and would also play for AC Milan and Rangers.
“It’s my mother’s grandfather and she told me a lot of stories,” Gudmundsson explained.
“A book was written about his career and after he stopped playing, so I know a lot about him and his life. It also inspires me as I knew he reached a very high level and this is something I would like to reach as well.”
The 26-year-old could end up on the move this summer, and the Premier League may end up being a destination for him, but there have been no links for him to join Arsenal and follow his family ties to North London.
