Journalist Guillem Balague tells the reasons behind Gunners’ failure.
Respected Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague has revealed just how close Arsenal came to signing superstar Lionel Messi when he was a teenage, report the Times, with everything hinging on the fact that the Argentine wanted a London flat.
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When Messi initially broke onto the scene as a teenager in a youth tournament for Barcelona, he immediately attracted the attention of a senior Arsenal scout who was desperate to persuade the Gunners to sign the precocious talent.
Despite having an interest, however, Arsene Wenger and Arsenal were rebuffed by Messi and his representatives because they didn’t off the teenager and his family a place in London.
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