Vincent Kompany:
Widely regarded as one of the finest centre-backs in Premier League, the two time League winner nearly joined Arsenal as a youngster from Anderlecht. Wenger was keen to find a long-term replacement for Sol Campbell but wasn’t ready to pay £5 million for the Belgian defender.
Speaking in 2014, Kompany’s agent, Jacques Lichtenstein, discussed Arsenal’s interest:
“I had meetings with Emilio Butragueno at Real Madrid, the club leaders at Barcelona and by Arsene Wenger himself at Arsenal. But heading to an absolute top club immediately was not the right solution because Vincent is someone who feels alone in an environment where he is not properly valued. Vincent is not a third or fourth choice.”