Arsenal manager has admitted that his failure to sign Manchester City midfield powerhouse Yaya Toure as one of his biggest regrets.
Arsenal had agreed to sign the Ivory Coast international when he was playing for Belgium side Beveren, in 2003 following a very impressive trial.
Delays in obtaining a work permit for him to come and join his brother Kolo at Arsenal led to him opting to join Ukrainian club Metalurh Donetsk rather than waiting for the paperwork to be sorted out.
Since then Yaya has gone on to show the world he is one of the best midfielders in the game plying his trade at Barcelona, and now for Manchester City.
When asked by the Daily Star if not signing him was one of the Arsenal managers biggest regrets the Gunners boss said: “At the top.”
Wenger then added: “But let’s not forget Toure had an agreement with Arsenal. We waited for his passport in Belgium but he went to Ukraine [instead].
“He’s not a mistake but he preferred to go to Donetsk without a passport.”
Toure is expected to start for Manchester City when they travel to the Emirates on Saturday afternoon looking to close the gap between themselves and Chelsea at the top of the table.
