Arsenal Transfer News: Paul Pogba Approach Revealed by Arsene Wenger

Some sections of the Arsenal support have grown frustrated with a lack of ambition in the transfer market at the Emirates Stadium, but Arsene Wenger has lifted the lid on a failed move for Paul Pogba before Juventus landed his services.

Speaking to beIN Sport (h/t the Mirror's Alex Richards) this weekend, the Gunners chief claimed Arsenal had hoped to lure the Frenchman while he was still a Manchester United player but were restricted:

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We were interested by Pogba when he was at Manchester [United]. We tried to get him, but it was complicated. I was surprised to see Manchester let him go. We did not have the right to contact him.

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Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Pogba himself arrived at Old Trafford from Le Havre in 2009 under accusations of being tapped up by the Red Devils, per Peter Scrivener and John Sinnott of BBC Sport.

Arsenal apparently weren't willing to risk such peril and ultimately lost out to the Bianconeri, with Pogba since going on to become one of the most revered players in his position and is still just 21 years of age.

Wenger's claim comes as particularly heart-breaking news for Arsenal, considering how ideal his skill set would be for the club at present. A young and ever-improving, no-nonsense box-to-box man with all the technical nuances of which Wenger is such a fan, Pogba would be seen by many as the ideal Gunners signing.

The France international has come upon new levels of success since moving to Serie A in 2013 and recently signed a new deal with Juve until 2019. However, the hungry enforcer is looking for more, with Football Italia quoting Pogba as saying:

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I have many targets in my head. I am happy to have signed, but it doesn’t end here. I want more. I will keep my feet on the ground, but I want to win the Euros and the Champions League, I want to become a great player and the contract with Juventus will allow me to grow and reach my objectives.

Many great French players have come through Juventus, as this is a huge club and we can win together. We might not be Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, but we have the players to achieve something important.

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Wenger relied largely on Aaron Ramsey to play the role of midfield dynamo in his team last season, but the Welshman has been unable to summon the same standards this term.

Fellow midfielders Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta have also failed to inspire for periods, each having faced their spells on the treatment table.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

Instead, it's the swift adaptation to the Premier League of Alexis Sanchez that's bailed Arsenal out of trouble for the most part this season. The Chilean has scored eight goals in his first nine league starts for the club, along with another two finishes in Champions League competition.

Given his importance to the Juve cause, any hopes Arsenal had of signing Pogba may now be considered unrealistic. ESPN's Musa Okwonga mooted that big spenders Manchester City may be a more likely destination for the midfielder:

The Gunners may well dream about what might have been had they managed to acquire his talent instead of Juve, but it will do them no good in the midst of another testing season.

Instead, Wenger must look to show more determination in his attempts to bring in talents of similar potential in future and assure his side are able to seal the deal, as opposed to merely lusting from afar.