Gareth Bale:
The Real Madrid star was tracked by the Gunners when he was plying his trade at Southampton. Arsenal were also tracking Bale’s teammate Theo Walcott at the same time. However, the North London club signed Walcott in 2006 with Bale joining north London rivals Tottenham in 2007, and Wenger has since admitted he made a ‘huge mistake’ in not signing Bale.
“We didn’t take him as we had Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy and didn’t want another left-back. I must confess it was a huge mistake as he can play in midfield. He struggled at the start at Tottenham, then they moved him to midfield and he has done exceptionally well. The career of a player sometimes depends on playing in the right position.” – Wenger said in 2013.