Speaking on his YouTube channel, Goal journalist Charles Watts has shared just how close Arsenal came to signing Jude Bellingham when he was at Birmingham City.
The 17-year-old midfielder has been making headlines in recent months for his performances for Borussia Dortmund and England, and his showings have left fans of almost every club wondering why they didn’t spot him.
Well, Arsenal did spot him, and according to Watts, they came incredibly close to signing him.
What’s been said?
Watts says that Arsenal had two chances to sign Bellingham, but they failed on both occasions.
“Well, Arsenal did spot Bellingham, they tried to sign him. They were very close to signing him twice while he was at Birmingham. They tried, they were really really close to signing him. They thought at one point they were going to get him, but it ended up not happening and he signed his pro contract at Birmingham, Arsenal were absolutely aware of Bellingham,” Watts said.
Imagine that midfield
This has to sting if you’re an Arsenal fan.
Just imagine how much better Arsenal’s midfield would be if they had Bellingham in there instead of someone like Mohamed Elneny or Dani Ceballos.
Perhaps the Gunners would have pushed for the Champions League this season with Bellingham in the side, but what hurts even more is the long-term prospects.
Indeed, the idea of Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe all growing together at Arsenal for the next decade is mouth-watering, but sadly, the Gunners missed out on this one.
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