Former Premier League playmaker Alexander Hleb admits he ‘really wanted to join Bayern Munich’ before leaving Arsenal for Barcelona in the summer of 2008, speaking to Russian publication Sport24.
It’s certainly a well-worn path; the one stretching from North London to La Ramblas and back again.
Hleb, some 14 years ago, followed Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars, Thierry Henry and Giovanni van Bronckhorst to the Camp Nou after a sparkling spell in the red and white of Arsenal, joining for a £12 million fee that was, believe it or not, quite a substantial sum of money at the time.
Of course, with the benefit of hindsight, Hleb might have opted to stay put instead. The grass, as they say, is not always greener elsewhere.
Alexander Hleb struggled at Barcelona after Arsenal exit
“Initially, I really wanted to join Bayern,” explains the former Belarus international. “Although now I think that I was absolutely happy at Arsenal. Everything was perfect. I do not understand why I had thoughts about changing the club.
“Bayern were ready to take me away from England. But, at the last moment, they delayed it. They needed several days to resolve some organizational issues.
“At that moment, Barcelona came to me. And they was very persistent. (Manager Pep) Guardiola personally called me, persuaded me to go. In the end, this perseverance played a decisive role.”
After just 19 goalless La Liga appearances, and middling loan spells at Stuttgart, Birmingham City and Wolfsburg, Hleb would join Krylia Sovetov in 2012, his Barcelona contract terminated by mutual consent. Hleb’s career, and his reputation, would never again reach such lofty heights.
“At Arsenal, he had the best time of his career. Arsene Wenger loved him,” Ulrich Ferber, Hleb’s former agent, recalls in conversation with Goal and Spox.
“Then Barca and Bayern wanted him. We talked to both, he ultimately chose Barcelona. On the plane on the way to sign the contract, I sensed that he was looking forward to it but also doubting it.
“In this situation, I probably should have had more influence. He should have signed with Bayern after all.”
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