Ghana star Michael Essien among top transfer targets missed by Arsenal: Superstars who 'nearly' signed

Arsenal missed transfer XI: Geoffrey Kondogbia, Lionel Messi, Michael Essien, Cristiano Ronaldo and more: Superstars who 'nearly' signed

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Geoffrey Kondogbia signed for Inter Milan on Sunday night

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Arsenal tried to lure Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique to London

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic turned down a move because he 'didn't do auditions'

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Yaya Toure played a friendly game for Arsenal but never signed

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Wenger turned down Gareth Bale as he 'didn't need another left back'

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Follow the latest Arsenal transfer news here

Arsenal fans will be praying Geoffrey Kondogbia does not turn out to be yet another player they will regret not signing.

Having been monitored by Arsene Wenger for years, the France midfielder signed for Inter Milan in a £25million deal on Sunday night.

And the France international joins the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in having been courted by Arsenal without actually signing for the club.

Arsenal may have struggled for trophies in the last decade, but surely with this XI below they would conquer Europe.

The team may be top heavy and would most definitely be high on entertainment and slightly creaky at the back, but would surely bring trophies and goals to the Emirates Stadium.

GK: Petr Cech

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was ousted to the substitutes' bench at Stamford Bridge last season after Thibaut Courtois' arrival, and looks set for a switch to Arsenal.

But the Gunners could have had the Czech star over a decade ago, two years before he eventually moved to the Premier League.

'Before I went to Rennes I was watched by Arsenal but when I couldn't get a work permit the situation was missed,' Cech told The Sun.

'And at the last minute I think the person who was the chief scout at Arsenal didn't think I was good enough for the English league. So in the end it didn't happen.'

DF: Gerard Pique

Gerard Pique was the subject of a proposed triple swoop from Wenger, as he looked to prise away Barcelona's hottest talents.

'We wanted to take Fabregas, Messi and Pique. It worked only for Fabregas,' he said.

Pique eventually took the plunge in England but failed to impress at Manchester United, before winning two Champions Leagues with Barcelona in one of the greatest teams of the modern era. Not bad then.

DF: Vincent Kompany

Vincent Kompany is regarded as one of the best centre backs in the Premier League, captaining Manchester City to two titles since his arrival in England in 2008.

His speed, power and determination would vastly improve an often shaky Arsenal back line, and his agent Jacques Lichtenstein revealed that many of Europe's top clubs were courting Kompany in 2006 during his days with Anderlecht..

He told Sport Voetbal magazine: '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. In Hamburg that was not the case.'

CM: Geoffrey Kondogbia

Only 22, there is still a decent chance Kondogbia could end up at Arsenal one day, but their reluctance to challenge Inter for his signing this summer will have irked many fans.

Kondogbia has long been earmarked as a future European and global star having represented France through the age groups and impressed at Lens, Sevilla and Monaco in recent years.

And as Kondogbia's career has developed, holding midfield has become a problem position for the Gunners, with nobody coming close to matching the physical presence and defensive nous of former captain Patrick Vieira - who left in 2005.

The emergence of another Frenchman, Francis Coquelin, may have swayed Wenger's decision not to match Inter's £25m bid but it looks unlikely the price-tag will drop for the talented youngster.

CM: Yaya Toure

Yaya Toure was the closest out of this XI to sign for the Gunners, even pulling on a red and white shirt in a friendly against Barnet in 2003.

The Ivorian was on trial and looked set to join his brother Kolo in north London, only for those pesky work permits to halt the deal yet again.

'It would be up at the top [of my list of regrets],' Wenger said. 'But let's not forget that Yaya Toure had an agreement with us - and it's not because we did not want to sign him that he went to Ukraine.

'We needed to wait for his passport in Belgium. We have made mistakes but he is not a mistake, it's just the fact that he preferred to go to Metalurh Donetsk. He could go there without any passport.'

RM: Angel di Maria

The latest of the 'near, yet so fars' with Arsenal. Angel di Maria is now a £60m player with Manchester United after starring in and winning the Champions League with Real Madrid.

But Wenger could have had him for free nine years ago.

'We identified Di Maria when he was 17. We wanted him to come here, but he goes to Portugal, from Portugal he goes to Spain. Why? Because he could not get a work permit here.

That means you can only get him to England once he is worth a huge amount of money.

LM: Gareth Bale

Wenger confesses it was a 'huge mistake' not to sign then left back Bale when he took a look at the Southampton academy to sign Theo Walcott in 2006.

He decided he had enough space at left back with Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy, with the Welshman eventually joining north London rivals Tottenham.

He has since become the world's most expensive player at £86m with his destructive runs in an all-star front three at Real Madrid.

'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.'

CF: Cristiano Ronaldo

Wenger's biggest regret. Currently the best footballer on the planet, Arsenal could have had the Sporting teen for as little as £4m before Manchester United (and Carlos Queiroz) gazumped them.

'He was very close to coming here,' said the Frenchman. 'He has a No 9 shirt with Ronaldo on the back from Arsenal Football Club.

'What happened was that Carlos Queiroz went to Manchester United and they snapped him away from us because he knew him from Sporting (Lisbon).

'That's what life is about. You give your best but sometimes you might find that people are stronger than you. That can happen as well.'

CF: Lionel Messi

As mentioned above, Messi could have been inducted into the Arsenal team when he was just 16.

Reports suggested that the only thing keeping him away from London Colney was Wenger's failure to secure him a flat with his family near by, but the boss explains it was more complicated than that.

'I think in the end, he was not so keen to move, because it was at a period where Fabregas came and Fabregas and Messi played together in the same team.

'It was not completely down to a flat in the end. It was down to the fact that in the end Messi was comfortable at Barcelona.'

ST: Didier Drogba

Wenger confessed to perhaps the most costly transfer mistake of his Arsenal career, when he rejected the chance to sign Didier Drogba for £100,000.

At the time, Drogba was playing for French side Le Mans and though Wenger's scouts were regular visitors, he decided not to buy.

By the time Chelsea signed the Ivory Coast striker from Marseille in 2004, the price had shot up to £24m. These days, £100,000 would not even cover his weekly wage.

'We watched him carefully when he was at Le Mans,' said Wenger. 'It was not only us who watched him. But we felt he might not be completely ready.

'It was a mistake but, when you are in football, everyone can understand. We had Thierry Henry. We said we would follow Drogba's progress. We never ruled him out.'

ST: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Not many 16-year-olds would turn down the chance to have a trial in the Premier League but Ibrahimovic was never your average player.

'Arsene (Wenger) gave me the famous red and white jersey - the No 9 shirt with Ibrahimovic on it and I was so pleased I even posed for a picture wearing it,' he said.

'He never actually made me a serious offer, it was more, 'I want to see how good you are, what kind of player you are. Have a trial'.

'I couldn't believe it. I was like, 'No way, Zlatan doesn't do auditions'.

SUBS

Roberto Carlos

The Brazilian World Cup-winning left back said it would be a 'dream' to join Arsenal when he left Real Madrid in 2007, to link up with international team-mates Edu and Gilberto Silva.

No deal was forthcoming though, and he eventually moved to Fenerbahce.

'I am ready to play in the English Premier League and know it will be suitable for me,' he said. 'When my contract finishes that is definitely my priority and at Arsenal there are fellow Brazilians.

Samuel Eto'o

The Cameroon international was still just a teenager in 2000, when Real Madrid decided they were going to let him leave.

Arsenal were leading the chase before then Mallorca boss Luis Aragones turned his head, something Eto'o had no regrets about.

'I met Luis at a crucial moment in my life where I had to take the right direction - and thanks to him I did,' Eto'o told The Sun.

'I was about to sign that very afternoon at Arsenal and maybe I would have never been the player I am today.

'Luis picked me, then I ended up joining Barcelona. That decision changed everything.'

Harry Kane

In a picture that will anger (or delight) all Tottenham fans, Kane was pictured in an Arsenal shirt back in the summer of 2001.

Along with the likes of Benik Afobe, Chuks Aneke, Nico Yennaris and Jamie Lawrence, he featured for the Under 8 side at the Watford International Festival at Parmiter's School.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Manchester United's legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed in his autobiography: 'Arsene had a thing about Van Nistelrooy. I remember him saying he'd had a chance to sign Ruud but had decided he was not good enough to play for Arsenal.

Instead, Wenger wanted to keep an 'English basis' with Francis Jeffers. Nice thinking.

Michael Essien

Michael Essien was another man Wenger spotted in France, instead deciding to pass up the opportunity as the Ghana international moved to Chelsea for £24m years later.

PS... Joey Barton

Midfielder Joey Barton was sent off for Newcastle against Arsenal on the opening day of the 2011/12 season, revealing that playing in that game may have cost him a move to the Emirates Stadium.

He told BBC Sport: 'If I hadn't played against Arsenal on the first day, I may have signed for them.

'There were a couple of conversations [with Wenger] but that's different to actually signing.'