Arsene Wenger rejected player 12 months before Emery signed him

Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger reportedly turned down the chance to sign Denis Suarez for the Gunners before Unai Emery ended up doing so 12 months later.

The 25-year-old had a very poor loan spell at the Emirates this season and went on to make just four Premier League appearances during the second half of the campaign. One would have really expected the Spaniard to do much better, especially as he boasted 46 La Liga appearances and three goals for Barcelona prior to his arrival in England in January.

Rather unsurprisingly, the Gunners have decided not to sign the playmaker permanently for £18 million and he will now head back to Barcelona. Based on his displays, it is unlikely that he will manage to work his way back into the first-team plans of the Blaugrana ahead of next season.

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Arsenal fans will be delighted that Wenger did not take up the offer to sign Suarez 12 months earlier. Football.London reports that Southampton, Arsenal as well as Brighton and Hove Albion, were offered the chance to sign the player in January 2018. This obviously indicates that Barcelona had been somewhat desperate to get him off their books.

One of Emery’s biggest mistakes at the helm of the Gunners so far was his decision to sign Suarez. Arsenal fans cannot really fault their manager for this, though. Every coach at an elite club is likely to sign players who do not fit in for one reason or another. It also did not cost Arsenal a significant amount of cash. Had they signed the player permanently, it would have been something to bother about.

The Gunners now face an interesting summer. They clearly need to bolster their defensive ranks if they want to continue their improvement next season.