Tony Adams has claimed that Arsenal almost signed Jude Bellingham on Sky Sports.
Bellingham was making headlines in the Championship last season, when he was impressing for Birmingham City at the age of just 16.
Arsenal scouts immediately put him on their radar, but the Gunners did not press ahead with the transfer.
And Adams said: “He was spotted very early on, not by me, but by the Arsenal recruitment office. The chief scout was absolutely bowled over by him and the great prospect that he is.
“New sporting director Edu came in from Brazil, he had no European experience and no UK experience and I think it got lost in the transition.”
If Arsenal were that close to signing Bellingham and opted to drop out then that could be a big regret.
The teenager has just been called into the full England squad for the first time and he has proven his ability to play at the top level already with Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham has a growing list of admirers, with Brendan Rodgers calling him ‘absolutely phenomenal’ to the Birmingham Mail.
Bellingham could have added energy and aggression in Arsenal’s midfield, as well as technical quality.
But it seems that the Gunners will now have to watch his progress from afar, and potentially question what might have been in future years.
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