How Arsenal missed out on signing Kylian Mbappe - Arsene Wenger

Robin Bairner

• 10 Jun 2024 11:50 BST
• 4 min read

Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger admits it “hurts his heart” at failing to have signed Kylian Mbappe for the Emirates club.

Wenger was Arsenal manager at the time when Mbappe was breaking out at Monaco, yet instead of moving to North London, he instead elected to join PSG, who ultimately paid €180 million for his services.

This huge transfer fee notwithstanding, the legendary boss, who has a statue in his honour outside of the Emirates Stadium, admits it is painful to see images of a young Mbappe wearing an Arsenal shirt being bandied around.

READ MORE: Arsenal star named 'dream target' as exit looms

Current ETV

Kylian Mbappé

F (CL), AM (L)

PSG

Kylian Mbappé

F (CL), AM (L)

PSG

€154.6M

ETV Range

€116M - €193.3M

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“It was a footballing blow, and an obvious one too,” he admitted in a documentary broadcast on TF1 on Sunday.

“Seeing a photo like that [of Mbappe wearing an Arsenal jersey], hurts my heart a little.”

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024: All the Done Deals

Why Arsenal missed out on Mbappe

Wenger says it was not for the want of trying that the Gunners missed out on the teenage prodigy.

“I went to his parents and tried to convince them,” he said. “At the time, he was a little shy, people were starting to ask him for his first autographs in Monaco. At the beginning of your career, you don't have too much pressure at the start and they managed to persuade him to extend it by promising him that he would play more easily at Monaco than at Arsenal, Liverpool or Real Madrid.

“We can say that his parents advised him well and that he made the right decision.”

Mbappe has made the second major move of his career this summer by leaving PSG after seven years to join Real Madrid on a free transfer.

According to reports in AS, the 25-year-old attacker is so keen to get started at the Bernabeu, he is willing to cut short his holiday following Euro 2024.