Ex-scout reveals why Arsenal snubbed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in 2022

Updated: 15 Jun, 2025 • 0 • min read

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Ex-scout reveals why Arsenal snubbed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in 2022

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Arsenal may be kicking themselves after missing out on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, one of the most exciting attacking talents in world football, and now a former club scout has shed light on why the Gunners passed up the opportunity to sign him in 2022.

The 24-year-old Georgian winger, now starring for Paris Saint-Germain, helped knock Arsenal out of the Champions League semi-finals this season.

But things could have gone very differently had the Gunners acted on early interest when he was playing in Russia.

Scouting Frustrations

Speaking to Polish outlet weszlo.com, Tomasz Pasieczny, Arsenal's former scout for Eastern Europe, revealed he had tracked Kvaratskhelia and his then-Rubin Kazan teammate Zuriko Davitashvili during youth tournaments and Russian league action.

Georgia's youth team visited Poland, there was a qualifying tournament.

My job was to pay attention to other teams, but when you saw them [Kvaratskhelia and Davitashvili] we had long discussions with other scouts about who was better.

However, doubts emerged after one match against Dynamo Moscow.

Despite acknowledging the winger's huge potential, Pasieczny noted concerns about his mental resilience under pressure at the time.

Then I watched both of them in Russia, so I followed their development for a long time.

He couldn't cope with the pressure. Every next move was bad, from start to finish. He got lost, the ball bounced off him, you could see that he had lost his confidence.

He overcame it, but if it had continued, it would have been a problem. Being affected by a few thousand people in Kazan doesn't lead to a good rating.

Everyone knew he would be mega good, but they wondered how good. Whether he would be the absolute top or a bit lower. Few had any doubts that he wouldn't be anything at all.

However, at that stage I had to write how it is, draw conclusions, write where the problems are.

Arsenal Chose Marquinhos Instead

Rather than pursue Kvaratskhelia, Arsenal signed Marquinhos from São Paulo.

The Brazilian winger has made just six senior appearances and is currently out on loan at Cruzeiro, having already spent time with Norwich City, Nantes, and Fluminense.

Meanwhile, Kvaratskhelia has flourished.

After a stint at Dinamo Batumi, he joined Napoli in 2022, where he became a breakout star.

In January 2025, he secured a €70 million move to PSG, where he is now a key part of a historic treble-winning side.

It's clear that any doubts about his temperament are a thing of the past, and Arsenal's decision to pass may now go down as one of their more painful what-ifs.

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