Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has revealed that he once passed up the chance to buy Didier Drogba – for just £100,000.
Drogba cost Chelsea some £24 million when they signed him from Olympique Marseille, but seven years ago when the then 24-year-old Drogba was still finding his feet with Le Mans in the French Second Division, he could have joined the Gunners for a knock-down bargain fee.
"We watched Drogba very carefully when he was at Le Mans and his value was just £100,000," Wenger told journalists.
"But we felt at the time he might not be completely ready.
"Sometimes when you watch a striker playing in a scrappy Championship game you can think ‘yes, he has something but... ’
"We continued to follow his progress but suddenly he moved to Guingamp, then to the club of his dreams at Marseille and then on to Chelsea.
"Looking back now, of course it was a mistake. But it is not just us who now have regrets. There were a lot of other clubs watching him then."
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Drogba cost Chelsea some £24 million when they signed him from Olympique Marseille, but seven years ago when the then 24-year-old Drogba was still finding his feet with Le Mans in the French Second Division, he could have joined the Gunners for a knock-down bargain fee.
"We watched Drogba very carefully when he was at Le Mans and his value was just £100,000," Wenger told journalists.
"But we felt at the time he might not be completely ready.
"Sometimes when you watch a striker playing in a scrappy Championship game you can think ‘yes, he has something but... ’
"We continued to follow his progress but suddenly he moved to Guingamp, then to the club of his dreams at Marseille and then on to Chelsea.
"Looking back now, of course it was a mistake. But it is not just us who now have regrets. There were a lot of other clubs watching him then."
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