Arsenal rejected chance to sign Real Madrid star Federico Valverde after secret week-long trial
09/09/2023 09:33 AM
Arsenal turned down the opportunity to sign Real Madrid star Federico Valverde before his move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Since moving to the Spanish capital, the Uruguay international has emerged as one of the best midfielders in world football.
Valverde signed from Penarol in 2016 but could very well have made the move to Arsenal instead.
He partook in a week-long trial at the club but the then-Gunners boss Arsene Wenger opted not to seal a deal.
Madrid were then on hand to sign Valverde themselves, a move that has proved highly effective given the success they’ve shared.
Valverde was asked about his brief spell as Arsenal and had nothing but praise for the former Gunner Alexis Sanchez.
“I have always been grateful to him,” he said about the Chilean. “When I went to train at Arsenal, Alexis was there and he was one of the few who came up to help me.
“I will always be grateful to him because, being a nobody, I was well-received by him. He was there to help me when I was a kid. As a footballer, he is an incredible player.”
Arsenal signed Granit Xhaka during the summer of 2016 with Madrid completing a deal for Valverde.
He has certainly not been shy of success during his time at Los Blancos having won two La Liga titles and the Champions League.
The 25-year-old initially played for their reserve side Castilla before spending the 2017/18 season loan at Deportivo La Coruna.
Valverde made his senior debut for Madrid in 2018 and has made a total of 208 appearances across all competitions thus far.
He has scored 18 goals for the club too, with 12 of those coming last season along with seven assists.
The new talkSPORT match centre
Keep up-to-date with all the latest football fixtures, results and standings in our new match centre.
