Arsene Wenger has admitted that he was not aware that Manchester United’s new signing Anthony Martial was for sale from his previous club, AS Monaco, which is why the club did not pursue the French striker before the end of the summer transfer window.
The Arsenal manager has not been quiet on his feeling on the 19-year-old, who ended up making a deadline day move to Manchester United for £36 million plus add-ons.
Although the price tag was heavily judged by many when the deal first went through, Martial has become a fan favourite straight away as he has scored four goals in six games for the Red Devils and he has fit straight into Louis Van Gaal’s plans.
Wenger was quoted by newspapers, particularly the Daily Star, saying: “I thought they would not sell him this year because they had sold so many other players.
“They said they were not in any need to sell and would maintain their word.”
Rumours proved false
Rumours have been spread around in recent weeks that Manchester United could have been outbid in the dying minutes of the transfer window and it has been said that the other club could have been Arsenal.
If the rumours were true, Wenger was not able to use his previous links from his time in charge of AS Monaco to sway the transfer in his clubs favour. The current Arsenal manager spent seven years in charge of the French side spanning from 1987 to 1994. Before he turned to the Premier League, he spent a single season at Nagoya Grampus in the 1995-1996 season.
This would not be the first time the French manager would have made a bid for the striker. He revealed that the club were after him back in the summer of 2014.
“We always like him, already when he was at Lyon,” Wenger said, “That was also a surprise that Lyon sold him for five million euros.”
The rumours about a second bid were confirmed by Monaco vise president Vadim Vasilyev in a press conference and he said that the higher bid was turned down due to Martial already having his mind set on the move to Old Trafford.
“I will not say how much, but the fixed price, without variables, it was even better. And also they offered use to have him for a further year in Monaco,” said the vice president of the French side.
“But the boy wanted to go to Manchester, it was his dream. And we let him go with the bonus of 30 million euros. Had it not been for so much money, he’d have stayed.”
Both Wenger and Martial will face off against each other in this weekend’s game between Arsenal and Manchester United, which will take place at the Emirates.