So Wenger says that we were 'very, very close' to signing Mbappe. Isn't it annoying

[Rich]

how often we are really close to getting players but never close the deal.

Off the top of my head I can think of Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic, Kluivert, Mpabble, Cech (before he went to Chelsea).

If we're going to give Him a Director Of Football then perhaps we can perform better in the recruitment department.

[Mo Britain less Europe]

It's simply not true. You either sign a player or you don't, closeness doesn't come into it.

[Rich]

It's simply not true. You either sign a player or you don't, closeness doesn't come into it.

Are you calling Him a liar?

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foot...-a3529926.html

[Mo Britain less Europe]

I am calling him a fantasist. Higuain's another one we nearly signed, he's just won the semi-final for Juventus.

[Tony C]

Someone needs shooting for what happened that summer.

lost both Higuain and Suarez that summer because someone thought it would be anything to big £40m +£1

[SWv2]

how often we are really close to getting players but never close the deal.

Off the top of my head I can think of Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic, Kluivert, Mpabble, Cech (before he went to Chelsea).

If we're going to give Him a Director Of Football then perhaps we can perform better in the recruitment department.

To be fair Richard I think you will find most clubs could run off such a list and I think you have only just scratched the surface there with those names listed.

The issue may be that Wenger does seem to go public on such nearly incidents, or perhaps we only notice his stories as would be less inclined to read stories relevant to other teams.

This morning's Mbappe story merely made me chuckle.

[Rich]

To be fair Richard I think you will find most clubs could run off such a list and I think you have only just scratched the surface there with those names listed.

The issue may be that Wenger does seem to go public on such nearly incidents, or perhaps we only notice his stories as would be less inclined to read stories relevant to other teams.

This morning's Mbappe story merely made me chuckle.

Well Pires says that he will be surprised if he doesn't come to Arsenal this summer. So hopefully he's right as Mbappe is better than Giroud.

[Sir C]

Well Pires says that he will be surprised if he doesn't come to Arsenal this summer. So hopefully he's right as Mbappe is better than Giroud.

I answered your Amsterdam query with some excellent information, you ungrateful bástard.

[SWv2]

Well Pires says that he will be surprised if he doesn't come to Arsenal this summer. So hopefully he's right as Mbappe is better than Giroud.

Despite my deep unwavering and unrequited love for Pires I am tempted to say he is deluded to the point of alarm.

Here we have a young player with the footballing world at his feet, probably the pick of all European clubs (if indeed he decides to leave Monaco now) to choose from coupled with an astronomical fee to pay for his services, and RP thinks he will choose to come to a club which appears to be heading up a blind alley with no actual idea where it is going to go.

I don’t work in football, but I can see a flaw.

Perhaps this is 1983 and Charlie Nicholas again for the Sky generation.

[Pokster]

Despite my deep unwavering and unrequited love for Pires I am tempted to say he is deluded to the point of alarm.

Here we have a young player with the footballing world at his feet, probably the pick of all European clubs (if indeed he decides to leave Monaco now) to choose from coupled with an astronomical fee to pay for his services, and RP thinks he will choose to come to a club which appears to be heading up a blind alley with no actual idea where it is going to go.

I don’t work in football, but I can see a flaw.

Perhaps this is 1983 and Charlie Nicholas again for the Sky generation.

I agree with you.... in effect it might make us focus on young players who haven't yet made it and have a bit of a punt on them... of course it all depends on who is the manager. I'm not expecting much for the next 2 or 3 seasons