About 18 months ago Arsenal were tentatively linked with French defender Raphael Varane in one of those summer transfer window stories that reels off about 35 interested clubs from across Europe.
At 18-years-old and plying his trade with Lens he perfectly fit the profile of an Arsene Wenger signing, so perhaps it wasn’t surprising. Alas a bid was not forthcoming and instead Real Madrid pounced, sending Zinedine Zidane to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis with a suitcase packed with €10 million and the paperwork for a six-year contract. Unsurprisingly that was temptation enough for Varane who slung his hook to the Bernabeu in double-quick time.
Despite becoming the youngest foreign player to score for Madrid, he had a quiet first season making only 15 appearances as backup to the likes of Ramos and Pepe. This term however, he’s already played 19 times and further cemented his reputation with a goal and man-of-the-match performances against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.
So what does this mean for Arsenal? Well not much really, although it’s been enough to get Arsene sighing about what might have been…
Speaking to Eurosport for his blog, the boss lamented that the 6ft 3” stopper had slipped through his fingers.
“A quick word on my fellow Frenchman Raphael Varane, the 19-year-old Real Madrid defender who could face United: I’m happy for him because he’s carving out a role at one of the world’s best clubs, which is remarkable.
“Yet at the same time, when you are in charge of a club like Arsenal, you have to wonder why this player is not playing for us. He was at Lens, and we might well have caught him there.
“It was a risk for Real Madrid to sign him at his age, but when you have such a talent, you can overcome everything.
“He has benefited from suspension to Sergio Ramos and injury to Pepe, but nevertheless Mourinho has chosen him to step in.
“His next challenge is to manage the increased media exposure on him, especially now he is in the French national side.”
Arseblog News isn’t quite sure whether the boss is having a veiled pop at his scouts or whether he’s frustrated that we missed out on making some big bucks developing his talent and selling him on. Either way, Varane does indeed look like a top notch prospect. Here’s to him kicking Van Persie in the loins tonight. Repeatedly. With an axe.
He will put RvP in a guillotine tonight.
Thumbs down coz I am over Van Persie now. It should all be about Girroud, Poldolski and Cazorla, 3 good signings and all delivering goals and assists. Time for us to move on and the only CL game I care about is the Bayern Munchkins next Tuesday. Come on the Gunners! However, I will most certainly raise a smile if Mourinho does his celebratory dive on the pitch at Old Trafford in 2nd leg.
I do wonder why everything is “tentative with Arsenal” these days. Wouldn’t be the first time this has happened. Barring the odd flop, Wenger & his scouting are usually right about the youngsters they blood into our squad.
Not really interested in what we could have had. Prefere to hear that we have got a top rated player on their way to Arsenal and not slipping though our (Wengers) fingers yet
again. Or is it that these players don’t consider us a top club anymore and therefore going to what everyone else conceives to be a ‘Top Club’!!!
This lad is a monster. He’s got everything in his locker to be a top, top defender for years to come, and other such clichés.
That last ditch tackle in the El Clasico was really something. Can’t remember who he dispossessed?
(yes I can… *sob*)
Varane should kick those ”little boy” bones!
I recall every top club in Europe fighting over Phillip Senderos too.
arsene cant get it right always,but he was a beast against barca and our wingback problems were sorted for long term future if we signed him,nevatheless,we gona rape bayern without him 🙂
I spotted him on Football Manager couple years ago, I wonder if I can e-mail a copy of my 17-20 year old prospect shortlist to Wenger, there’s some quality players on it but no stoke cunts!!!!
David Moyes will have already nabbed them
I remember when he was at Lens and there was heavy speculation we were interested in him. He looked like a beast in the making then and I thought ‘why not buy him now?’ because somebody will snap him up and they did. I think the same about Kurt Zouma at St Etienne now. We don’t really have any really promising young CBs at the club. Miquel is okay and I think will turn into a premiership quality player but I don’t think he has the potential to be one of europe’s best. Zouma does. I hope Iggy proves me… Read more »
But lauds capturing gervinho.
… who was highly lauded and successful in the same league Varane played in before.
Yeah but we got the battle scarred French warrior-hero Sebastien Squillaci!
Mmmh. Simply put, “the one that got away”! But how do you say No to a legend like Zidane who has been there and done that. Arsenal should use former legends like Pires, Ljunberg, Bergkamp, Henry, et al to be its representative, the may be more effective than Dick Law, or to make it easier they should work in tandem with Dick Law!
You are right. The likes of Vieira should have a role with us and not Man City.
I like how Bayern do things, they have the likes of Rummenigge, Beckenbauer deeply involved in the inner working of the club. Real football men who love their club but savvy enough to operate in football off the pitch.
Bayern’s old sea dogs can be a double-edged sword though, like when they can run their mouths with the press or undermine the manager’s authority etc.
In the future he will rue missing out on.
M’villa, Phil jones, Holtby
, Letting Carlos Vela go, e.t.c.
And ofcourse stealing Messi from hospital right after he was born….
hahahahahahahahahhahahahahhahahah…..
hahahahhahahahahahhaha…
hahahahahhahah…
Carlos Vela.
I’m beast on Football Manager.
Just chip it.
Good luck to united tonight. I hope they win well and bring a healthy advantage back to OT. Not really….i hope Ronaldo rapes you. COYMadrid. My 2nd favourite team after ARSENAL
Dortmund is now slowly becoming my second favorite team after Arsenal…
WHORE.
I think Dortmund will win it this year.
My favourite teams go:
1. Arsenal
2. Arsenal Ladies
3. Arsenal u21s
4. Arsenal u18s
5. Arsenal Academy
6. Nagoya Grampus 8
7. Whoever took Stepanovs off us
“frustrated that we missed out on making some big bucks developing his talent and selling him on.”
Oh fuck off
Yeah exactly, that’s a pretty anti-Wenger thing to suggest “News Hound”
I know this comment will make me sound like the cretin painted by blogs in today’s post, who criticises everything about the club and highlights every little thing to use as confirmation of their conjecture but this definitely illustrates the conservatism about the club at the moment.
I may be mistaken, but has Wenger ever developed any quality defenders? I mean central defenders of course, not our L/R backs, who he has made plenty of.
And when I say quality, I mean quality compared to the likes of the attacking players that Wenger has turned into beasts, not Djourou et al.
Ever heard of Kolo Toure?
Hmm fair enough (although I’m sure K.T played CDM for us at the start of his career and even as an attacking player in his youth career pre-Arsenal, although I’m sure it was part of Arsene’s plan to turn him into a CB). Though it’s fair to say he’s better at developing attacking talent?
I’d agree with that. Which is funny, considering how he himself was a defender mostly. But he has also produced some pretty decent defensive minded players, though most of those are destined for some major bench warming. Flamini, Song, …
Does Kos count?
To be fair, if we signed him in 2011, everyone would be saying “FFS! SIGN AN ESTABLISHED DEFENDER INSTEAD OF THESE KIDS!”
Yeah, coz Wenger would sign him and he’ll only play for reserves or U21 instead of first team. I still don’t understand why Wenger won’t play Eisfied in first team! FFS!
have you considered that he sees more of the boy than you? a loan would be a good idea though.
No big loss. We would have sold him to Madrid/Barca/ Manu in couple years anyway.
[…] Read More Here: Wenger laments missing out on Varane […]
I know this is not really the article but I think that the triumvirate of Ramsey, Arteta, and Wilshere in the center of the pitch has been the best balance since Diaby went out injured. I believe this is due to the fact that all three can play in each role (i.e. holding, pivot, cam) and this flexibility adds to Arsenal’s attacking fluidity especially on quick counter attacks where whoever is furthest up the pitch has the ability to push the ball fast. It also strengthens the defense as all three are capable of correct positioning as well as a… Read more »
The challenge is whether he can learn and what will happen when strikers figure out his footballing mind, how he operates. At 6 3 he is a monster.
Great player. But of course Real Madrid pounce on him earlier.
All Wenger could do now is just look for better players than him
‘Might well have caught him’… What a pointless statement-
I simply hate it when he says that! There are so many other good players, even world class players that he “might well have caught”….
from a pointless individual
yeah yeah and we missed out on ronalado too, and mata and blah blah blah. No use telling us who we missed out on, get some players in!
Since the transfer window shambles Wenger has been filling the air with
names he was gonna sign or plans to sign..
Pure mumbo jumbo distraction talk.
Get rid of all the rubbish you signed and use the freed up salary to buy
decent players. Nacho is a good signing. But its too late we are still 20 points of the pace. Totally unacceptable.
Someone is not doing his job for us with the cbs.
Kolo was good, we sell him.
N you know the rest. The list is pretty long. Ends with kos n per as the latest flop recruits. Ok, not necessarily flop, but nowhere near top club quality.
[…] 来源：【ArseblogNews】 […]
yet again arsene busy with his media job, another payday for the greedy old git. cant arrange a defence though or work on another set of tactics or a plan b. tut tut
“Arseblog News isn’t quite sure whether the boss is having a veiled pop at his scouts or whether he’s frustrated that we missed out on making some big bucks developing his talent and selling him on”.
I’d put my money on it being the latter.