Arsene Wenger happy he signed Theo Walcott over Gareth Bale
Last updated on .From the section Football
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he has no regrets about his decision to sign Theo Walcott over Gareth Bale.
Arsenal scouted the 23-year-olds when they were Southampton teenagers but Wenger chose to take on Walcott in 2006 while Tottenham signed Bale in 2007.
Wenger said: "At some stage, we were on about taking the two if possible.
"But we could get Walcott and I am very happy we got him. You'd be amazed by the number of players we should have signed. Every club misses players."
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas called Bale "incredible" after two stunning free-kicks from the Welsh winger helped Spurs beat Lyon in the Europa League first-leg match at White Hart Lane on Thursday.
The Wales international has now scored seven goals in his last five matches for club and country.
Bale's run of form has led to comparisons with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi, but Wenger says it is too early to measure the Welshman against the La Liga playmakers.
"Bale has the potential to develop and become the players that you compare him to," Wenger added.
"However, Messi has won two or three Champions League, a few championships, scored 95 goals in a year, so let's not go too quickly."
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AW says, "You'd be amazed by the number of players we should have signed. Every club misses players."
BBC implies "Walcott iz better than Bale any day of ze week."
Good result = signing either of them
Bad result = you get the idea....
What precisely is the point of this piece. Can't see that anyone's even put their name to it. Either too embarrassed or in too much of a hurry to get to the bar.
The closest I do see is
"You'd be amazed by the number of players we should have signed. Every club misses players."
and thats just obvious, its quite easy to be Captain Hindsight, but even that is not saying what the headline says.
*head in hands*
You really expect Wenger or any manager would make a public announcement stating they wished one of their players was someone else ?/!
Management is about managing people. And by the sound of it, i don't think many of you would do very well at it...
The football pages, especially, are rife with non-stories like this. At least this one isn't about Liverpool for a change.
Am fed up of reading some half-arsed story nicked from a gossip website and passed off as news.
Buck your ideas up BBC!
Sort it out BBC, if you've got nothing to write just go home a bit early; it is Friday after all.
"this is just a ploy by BBC to get a debate going."
That is one way to describe it. Another is "shockingly inept journalism". Another is "negligence and sloth posing as work". Another is "falsehood offered as truth".
I am incredulous that the editor of this section can simply make up fantastic rubbish week after week, and not face discipline. A very poor show indeed, on the public purse.
606 was the only worthwhile aspect of the BBC's football pages, and we all know what happened there....
At no point does he say he prefers Walcott *over* Bale. He says they were in for both, had the chance to sign Walcott (so did) but missed out on Bale.
I'm not sure where this "over Bale" quote comes from.
Why?
Because they would be experts on writing misleading headlines and blowing things up out of all proportion.
There is more sense and accuracy on Sesame Street repeats.
It's a non story. Looks like the BBC have hashed together comments from Wenger and come up with a silly headline. Pretty much par for the course these days...
This guy is a total joke!
Hahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahaahahahhaahhahahahahahahaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahhaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahah
'Is Clare Balding actually John Inverdale with a blonde wig on?'
The story will be opened for discusssion, and we will be allowed to annoy Liverpool fans. Yay
"I think the comments show an underlying issue that most people don't read articles before commenting on them."
To be fair the actual article is quite boring, so the BBC had to liven up the debate somehow and Wenger bashing is always popular in the comments section.