Wenger tries to take credit for Ronaldo

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/7222616.stm


Apparently, he was 'at' Arsenal before he was at Man U. But Man U got him due to having a connection with Sporting via Queiroz.

This guy cracks me up. It's so obvious that what he's really saying is 'Ronaldo had a brief trial with us sometime before signing for Man U, and he chose Man U because they offered him more as a club, about which I'm so jealous that I have to put stories like this in the press to try to salvage my reputation as a talent spotter'.

Really, really low move from Wenger, as he realises that Cesc's early season form is gone, Van Persie's 3 months of great form is looking like a fluke, Hleb is nowhere, Rosicky is perpetually injured, Walcott (whose total fee is only a touch less than Man U paid for Ronaldo) is a walking disgrace to the game, and only Adebayor is actually looking like a league title winning player...

"I don't want to create any story that isn't needed,"

yup..I think Houllier too knew the portuguese player was special.

Mu are lucky they signed him before Arsenal

You must have noticed the way Arsène always says "we nearly signed x/y/z", deal with it...

We're not generally prepared to pay the prices some others are.

One of the best bits of business Man Utd have done is recent years is joining up with Sporting Lisbon. That club is a real conveyer belt of talent.

I don't see what is so wrong about this story, they happen all the time. When Chelsea signed Essien, it was revealed that he had a trial at Man Utd when only 17 years old. Was that low?

Wenger gave Ibrahimovic a trial as well, its a shame that one didn't happen.

Allez les rouges wrote:You must have noticed the way Arsène always says "we nearly signed x/y/z", deal with it...

We're not generally prepared to pay the prices some others are.

Sure, he does it to try to look like a more knowledgeable and talented manager than he really is.

As for the money - don't make me laugh. Walcott - 12 million. Ronaldo - 12.24 million.


Yeah, I'm sure you weren't willing to pay 240,000 pounds more for a 17 year old Ronaldo than you were for a 16 year old Walcott. Especially when you spent 10 million on Hleb, 13 on Wiltord, 8 on Jeffers, 17.5 on Reyes...

Cesc wrote:One of the best bits of business Man Utd have done is recent years is joining up with Sporting Lisbon. That club is a real conveyer belt of talent.

I don't see what is so wrong about this story, they happen all the time. When Chelsea signed Essien, it was revealed that he had a trial at Man Utd when only 17 years old. Was that low?

Given that for two seasons previously Man U had been linked with Essien as a Keane replacement, and Essien himself had talked of wanting to join them, and how he'd had a trial with them as a kid, the situations are about as different as can be.


Nice try, but I'm not pig ignorant, so I didn't fall for it.

before he signed for Santos, Pelé had trials with Arsenal but couldn't get a work permit. True story

Walcott was £5m – honestly, trying to have your cake and eat it by suggesting we've paid the full whack while pointing out that he's achieved nothing so far (and that therefore the additional sums aren't payable)...

Allez les rouges wrote:Walcott was £5m – honestly, trying to have your cake and eat it by suggesting we've paid the full whack while pointing out that he's achieved nothing so far (and that therefore the additional sums aren't payable)...

If Arsenal fans are going to insist on saying Man U paid 18 million for Carrick and 30 million for Rooney (which exceeds even the maximum possible in the deal struck) then I'm saying you paid 12 for Walcott.

It isn't true of course. And he had both played and scored for your lot, and played for England since he signed for you. So at least SOME of the additional sums have been paid.

Regardless, the point remains. Had Walcott worked out, Wenger and the board thought he was worth 12 million. I suppose it remains possible that he will eventually be worth that. But it's ridiculous to suggest you didn't sign Ronaldo because 12.24 million was considered too expensive, given the Walcott deal.

Glynn Hensen wrote:before he signed for Santos, Pelé had trials with Arsenal but couldn't get a work permit. True story

Before anyone had even heard of Johan Cruyff he had a trial with Southampton but was turned down for being too skinny.


Not a true story.

I read that Liverpool were tracking Ronaldo too.
Seriously, a player of his talent, i'd be amazed if all the major European clubs werent keeping tabs on him...

Hlebadinho wrote:I read that Liverpool were tracking Ronaldo too.
Seriously, a player of his talent, i'd be amazed if all the major European clubs werent keeping tabs on him...

Exactly, which makes it all the more pointless and self-congratulatory for Wenger to give this interview.

Really, how do you Arsenal fans put up with this man's arrogance?

Hlebadinho wrote:I read that Liverpool were tracking Ronaldo too.
Seriously, a player of his talent, i'd be amazed if all the major European clubs werent keeping tabs on him...

Back then the young star player at Sporting Lisbon was Quaresma, Ronaldo had only played a hand full of games.

But Ronaldo was starring at U17 level for Portugal.

I wonder what would have happened if Ronaldinho did ended up signing for Man Utd in the summer of 2003....

Would we have still signed Ronaldo the following summer or would he have been snapped up by another top club by then?

I read that Houllier turned him down for 6 mil and also chose Cisse over Eto'o, if those are true then he must die.

Houllier will probably die anyway.


@Adam West

I think you'd still have signed Ronaldo, as I'm almost certain Fergie would not have played Ronaldinho in the position he does for Barca. Much more likely he saw him as a second striker.

Mind games. Good work, Arsene

what?

Wenger has been salivating o'r TRW today!

:wenger:

'twas a typical ronaldo big 4 performance today - absolute dogshit but converts a pen/heads in a corner.

What are the odds he does the same at Stamford Bridge ?

Pierre Littbarski wrote:'twas a typical ronaldo big 4 performance today - absolute dogshit but converts a pen/heads in a corner.

What are the odds he does the same at Stamford Bridge ?

Tis fine...t'opp of big 4 put thier TOP players on him to mark him out....but as TOP player himslef - he needs just ONE MOMENT to punish the opp!

He was very close to going to Juve, but there was a delay because Marcelo Salas refused to leave.

Moggi also claims that if Calciopoli hadn't happened then Juve would've signed Cassano and Ronaldo, and Del Piero would've probably left.