Agent Names Man City Star as One of 3 Players Wenger Recently Missed Out on Signing for Arsenal
The players Arsene Wenger has let slip through his fingers have been well documented over the years and an agent close to the Arsenal manager, Sandor Varga, has revealed three more names that need to be put on the extensive list.
A plethora of top-tier talent adorn the list which include the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gerard Pique and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the three most recent names to be added are Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fyodor Smolov and Aleksandr Golovin.
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Varga told Sport-Express that Zinchenko was identified by Wenger in 2016 before the attacking midfielder signed for Manchester City.
He said: "When Zinchenko was 17, Arsène called me and asked me about him. Shakhtar beat Arsenal in the UEFA Youth League, Wenger saw 20 minutes of him and said ‘I need this guy’."
The 21-year-old has since spent time on loan with PSV before returning to the Etihad this season where he has impressed after being deployed as a left-back.
Meanwhile, 27-year-old striker Fyodor Smolov impressed the Frenchman with his goal-scoring ability so much so that Varga and Wenger reportedly met alongside the Russian national coach, Stanislav Cherchesov, to discuss his potential.
Varga added: "I know that many clubs really considered his candidacy. I know for sure that Roy Hodgson was interested in Smolov. And Arsene Wenger asked me about this attacker."
The striker continues to ply his trade in Russia for FC Krasnodar, a club he has scored 32 goals for in the last two seasons.
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Finally, Golovin, a 21-year-old midfielder who was strongly linked with the Gunners throughout the summer is the latest young talent to take his name on the list.
Varga claims Wenger will keep a close eye on the Russian throughout the World Cup to assess if Arsenal should make a formal approach in the summer.
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