Over the years, Arsenal have missed out on several exceptional players like Didier Drogba. However, manager Arsene Wenger can point to the huge number of stars that he has unearthed from almost nothing. The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song, and Thierry Henry became well-established stars after arriving at Arsenal. Wenger can now add the name of Gareth Bale to the players he has missed the over the years. Arsenal were in contention with several clubs across the Premier league for the signature of Gareth Bale when he was at Southampton.
Arsenal could have secured his signing due to the good relationship with Southampton following the transfer of Theo Walcott for close to £ 12 million. In the end, it was Tottenham who managed to secure the signing of Bale for around £ 5 million. This now seems as a bargain because the player is valued at in excess of £ 50 million after managing to win both the PFA player of the year awards on offer last season. The 23-year-old is now wanted by some of the biggest clubs in the world including Real Madrid. Wenger has finally admitted that he may have made a mistake in the evaluation of Bale.
Bale is widely regarded to be the next Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring more than 20 goals last season despite being a winger.
“We didn’t take him as we had Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy and didn’t want another left-back. 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. He has the potential. Now it depends on his consistency at the top level and injuries,” said Wenger.
