Arsene Wenger reveals failed Arsenal move for Jadon Sancho
Arsene Wenger has revealed that he tried to sign Jadon Sancho during his time in charge of Arsenal.
Sancho impressed in England's 5-3 victory over Kosovo on Wednesday, scoring twice to help the Three Lions maintain their 100% record in Euro 2020 qualifying.
The winger has also made a fine start to the season at club level, scoring two goals and providing three assists for Borussia Dortmund.
Sancho moved to the Bundesliga in 2017 after concluding that it would be difficult to get the same first-team opportunities at Manchester City.
And Wenger says he attempted to beat Dortmund to the youngster's signature in his final season at the Emirates Stadium.
FEATURE 11 big-name players Arsene Wenger could have signed (but obviously didn't)
"I wanted to take him from Man City when he didn't get the games," the former Arsenal boss told beIN Sports. "I tried to lure him because he's from London. I tried to get him to Arsenal.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
"He's one of the best players of his generation. He can dribble, he has the arrogance.
“There's something in there that is part of the big players. You can call it arrogance, confidence, belief; but it has to be there.”
Wenger has previously claimed to have been in for Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Gianluigi Buffon among others.
READ MORE
Andy Mitten column: Why Manchester United fans shouldn’t expect a high-profile sporting director
Ranked! EVERY England manager from worst to best
9 players who've been far better for their country than clubs
Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).