Looking back at a history of failed transfer attempts by Arsenal | OneFootball

As we know, our fanbase is divided on how genuine our interest in Ollie Watkins really is.

Some in the media seem to have sources suggesting we are preparing a second bid, with claims of “don’t be surprised if this goes down to the wire.” Some Gooners believe that’s exactly what we’re meant to think.

Don’t be surprised if you wake up on Monday to reports that we have submitted an improved offer, only for Villa to tell us it’s still nowhere near their valuation—then Arteta says, “We tried.”

Some supporters judge the Kroenke family solely on their record since becoming 100% owners of the club. I judge them based on when they first joined the board in 2006 and since 2011, when they acquired over 60% of the shares. That means for 14 years, they have held major power and control over how the club is run.

Financially, they have a genius business model—releasing merchandise in the summer during a cost-of-living crisis, in the month everyone is saving for Christmas, knowing their customers love the badge so much that they will invest. Then, those same people will defend these billionaires, even when they could have afforded a striker four weeks ago. If they had done so, maybe we would still be in the title race, not out of the FA Cup, and not 2-0 down in the Carabao Cup.

Of course, they would love us to win a trophy, but is it everything to the Kroenke family? This month surely proves—even to the most optimistic fan—that they are not owners who will do everything to make us champions.

Now, some of us are not just sceptical because we are negative. We have been here before. We have been burnt. We have watched this movie. We know how the story ends.

I hope this time it’s different…

Mark Schwarzer (2010-2011)

This was a period when our young team would be title contenders in February or March before ultimately lacking the mentality to get over the line. It was clear to many that Almunia was our weak link.

At the time, most of our fanbase understood that the club was restricted in its spending due to paying off the debt from building a new stadium. We weren’t asking the board to spend money they didn’t have, but surely they could have found an upgrade on our current keeper?

Schwarzer made sense—he could provide leadership to a youthful dressing room and had years of experience in the division. The Australian was gutted when Arsenal refused to meet Fulham’s £5 million asking price, instead refusing to budge beyond £2 million.

Yes, that’s how tight we were back then—willing to leave our squad short for the sake of a couple of million. Mark Hughes then arrived at Craven Cottage and priced the 37-year-old out of the move, breaking the promise the goalkeeper had with the previous regime.

Gary Cahill (2011-2012)

Another example of Arsenal’s reluctance to spend money due to paying off the Emirates debt. Worse still, this was despite selling Nasri and Fàbregas in the same summer—funds we were promised would be reinvested into the squad.

A 25-year-old Gary Cahill was exactly the kind of old-school defender our team was crying out for, yet Bolton’s chairman laughed off our £6 million offer as “derisory,” while their manager said the bid wasn’t even close to the asking price.

The Gunners submitting a bid knowing it would be rejected? Where have we heard that before?

Arsène Wenger, however, insisted Bolton were lying. Speaking of lying—the majority of the Fàbregas and Nasri money stayed in the bank.

Luis Suárez (2013-2014)

To this day, Arsenal are mocked for offering £1 over a £40 million activation clause.

To be fair to the Gunners, we had simply been misinformed by the player’s representatives. Suárez’s agents believed that figure was a buyout clause, but Dick Law quickly learned it only forced Liverpool to inform the Uruguayan of our interest—pointless, given the striker had already gone public with his desire to move to North London.

The man then in charge of negotiations insists Arsenal simply wanted to trigger the clause to start discussions and were prepared to increase the bid, but Liverpool made it clear the forward was not for sale.

This saga dragged on all summer, yet we failed to sign any forward. Arsène Wenger pointed out that our policy was to only sign the very best, and at least “we tried.”

A decade later, things change—but stay the same?

Gonzalo Higuaín (2013-2014)

Gooners old enough will remember the phase where we were constantly linked with Higuaín, as he never quite cemented a place in Real Madrid’s first team.

For weeks in the summer of 2013, reports suggested both clubs had agreed a deal, with only formalities left to finalise the signing. It was a case of when, not if.

Then, we were wrongly advised by Suárez’s representatives that he had a buyout clause. That saga had a domino effect—not only did Liverpool refuse to negotiate, but it also made Higuaín feel Arsenal didn’t completely trust him, so he chose Napoli instead.

The Argentine later claimed Arsenal told him they couldn’t afford his demands—contradicted by Mesut Özil arriving on deadline day.

That, though, was a PR exercise. I was at the Emirates on the opening day of that season, where home fans were the most vocal I’ve ever heard in demanding the owners spend some… money.

We signed an attacking player but not the natural goalscorer we clearly needed. Sound familiar?

Cesc Fàbregas (2014-2015)

When Fàbregas decided he wanted to return to England, he was fully aware that Arsenal contractually had first refusal.

Our former captain expected the Gunners to take up the option, and he made it clear that was his preference. That’s why I always felt it was harsh that the Spaniard was booed on his return to the Emirates—not only was it not his choice, but Arsène Wenger never even contacted him.

We simply let the deadline to negotiate expire, which the midfielder took as a sign that we weren’t interested. Reports suggest the board couldn’t agree on whether to match his salary, and while they hesitated, our ex-skipper was sitting in José Mourinho’s house.

Years later, Wenger claimed his stance was about setting an example to the squad—that once you left, there was no coming back. Only he knows if that was true or if he was once again acting as Kroenke’s shield.

It’s worth pointing out that he allowed Sol Campbell, Thierry Henry, Jens Lehmann, and Mathieu Flamini to return.

Thomas Lemar (2017-2018)

Could something similar happen on Monday?

In the final hours of the 2017 summer window, Arsenal shocked the world with a £92 million bid for Thomas Lemar. A willingness to overpay and break our transfer record seemed so uncharacteristic that some believed the board knew full well there wouldn’t be enough time to finalise the deal, with players away on international duty.

Cynics argue that if we were serious, negotiations would have happened earlier—running out of time was just a convenient excuse to make it seem like “we tried.”

It was left to our French Gunners to try and convince their countryman to join them in North London, but Lemar and his family had too little time to consider their options. That’s how last-minute—and suspicious—this interest was.

Wenger insisted Arsenal were only reacting to Manchester City’s £60 million deadline-day bid for Alexis Sánchez, which left him little time to find a replacement, forcing the Chilean to stay.

But Sánchez had made it clear for months that he was willing to run down his contract—so how were we not prepared for a Man City offer?

What do you think peeps?

Will Arsenal buy a striker in the next few days?

If not, what does that say about the ambition at the club?

Dan Smith

( Great news guys, predictions returning!

To give everyone some time I will drop casual reminders but it will resume the weekend of Friday 14th February)