Chelsea star could have been a Gunner
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that the club were ‘very close’ to signing Chelsea star Eden Hazard.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield clash between the Premier League champions and the FA Cup winners, Wenger admitted that the Gunners were pipped to the post by their London rivals.
Hazard was chased by a host of clubs when he left Lille in 2012, and eventually chose Stamford Bridge as his destination.
Arsenal Were Close
Asked whether Arsenal were one of those clubs, Wenger replied “Yes. We were a few million away!”
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho claimed that Hazard was the second best player in the world last season, only behind Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.
In response, the Gunners chief said: Â “He [Hazard] can decide the games and you put the top players in this kind of calibre when they can decide the games with something special.
“Hazard is in this category, now to reach the other two or three that are dominating world football at the moment I think it demands consistency which he is still to do.”
“You have to compare the numbers. I must say players like Messi and Ronaldo still score 50 goals and that is exceptional.”
by Steve Osborne
