Ivorian superstar Yaya Toure was close to joining Arsenal, where his brother Kolo was playing but he was rejected by manager Arsene Wenger because he didn’t believe Toure could be the next Vieira.
Toure failed to convince Wenger that he was not a striker as the French manager had thought, but instead a box-to-box midfielder.
Yaya Toure told the official Manchester City YouTube channel: “When I was in Belgium, I went to Arsenal for a couple of months to give me some training and I remember my first chat I had with Arsene,’
“He asked me, ‘Which position do you want to play?’ I said ‘Midfielder.’
“He said, “Why? When I saw you training, for me, you looked more like a striker.’
“I said, ‘That’s why you always put me up front, move me, I want to play in midfield like Patrick (Vieira). I said ‘I can play like Patrick, I can be better than Patrick’ and he said ‘No, no, it’s impossible.”
Toure has since played for Spanish giants Barcelona and the Premier League firepower, Manchester City. This season Toure has helped guide City to a title winning position with 17 goals and 5 assists and continues to flourish amongst a talented squad which have already won one piece of silverware this season.
By Phil Wellbrook
