05 October 2023 , 23:00
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has once again revealed that he was due to sign for Arsenal before performing a U-turn at the request of a trial from Arsene Wenger.
The Swedish icon infamously had the chance to become a Gunner earlier in his career. He was among a clutch of players identified by Wenger as a potential signing. Ibrahimovic even went as far as posing with an Arsenal shirt, only to see a move to North London collapse.
He has now explained why a switch did not come to fruition, with Ibrahimovic not keen to complete a trial for the Gunners. Speaking to outspoken Arsenal fan Piers Morgan, he said: “When I was young, I had a lot of interest from a lot of clubs, and one of them was Arsenal.
“So, I came to the office of Mr Arsene Wenger, and it was a big hype because I saw these players, Bergkamp, Henry, I saw Ljungberg, I saw Vieira, I saw all these players, and I was like ‘F**k, this is big’, because these players I see on TV, even if I already played in high level Sweden.
“But this was big, because this was like, ‘I am here now’. Last week I was playing PlayStation with these guys. And I spoke with Wenger, and he has this French, he was tall, I didn't expect him to be so tall.
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“I came in his office and we spoke and he was like, ‘What do you want?’ He wanted to get to know me, to feel me. Because I think he is a type of person, he just don't buy the player, he wants to know what he is buying I think. In the end, he had an Arsenal shirt with Number 9 and, ‘We want you to come and do a trial for two weeks.
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“Everything was good until he said you come and do a trial. I was looking at him. Obviously he is Wenger, I am nobody at that moment. I said, ‘I don't do trials’, and he was like, ‘What do you mean?’
"‘I don't do trials, either you want me or you don't want me, or else why am I here?’ That was me, but it was not to play a game, it was me. ‘No, but you have to come and do a trial’ and then, ‘No, no, you don't understand, I don't do trials’. That was it, I never went to Arsenal.”
The decision to not sign Ibrahimovic looked to be the wrong one for Arsenal. He went on to become one of the most prolific forwards of his generation.
The Malmo academy graduate played for Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain. He eventually did arrive on English shores by signing for Manchester on a free transfer from PSG.
Ibrahimovic scored 29 goals in a prolific spell with the Red Devils before a serious knee injury curtailed his time at Old Trafford. The former forward eventually retired following a second spell with AC Milan after helping the side to end their long wait for a Serie A crown.
To watch the full interview go to Piers Morgan Uncensored on YouTube.