ARSENAL passed up the opportunity to sign Khvicha Kvaratskhelia four years ago because of doubts about how good he would become.
According to a former Gunners scout, the Georgian superstar’s ceiling was something that divided opinion at the club.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia caused Arsenal problems throughout their Champions League tie with PSG – but he could have been playing for the Gunners[/caption]
Kvaratskhelia was playing for Rubin Kazan at the time and was beginning to attract the interest of top European clubs.
Napoli took a risk by paying £10m for the winger in 2022 — a fortnight after Arsenal shelled out £3.5million for Marquinhos.
The Brazilian never made the grade at Emirates Stadium while Kvaratskhelia made a stunning impact in Naples.
He helped to end the Serie A club’s 33-year title drought in his first season, landing the league’s MVP award as well as being named UEFA’s Champions League Young Player of the Season.
And in the week that the Georgian played a major role in destroying the Gunners’ Champions League dreams, it has emerged that Arsenal were aware of him well before Napoli or PSG.
Tomasz Pasieczny, who scouted for Arsenal in Eastern Europe for seven years until 2021, initially spotted Kvaratskhelia by chance.
He told weszlo.com: “Georgia’s youth team visited Poland, there was a qualifying tournament.
“My job was to pay attention to other teams, but when you saw them — Khvicha and Zuriko Davitashvili — we had long discussions with other scouts about who was better.
“Then I watched both of them in Russia, so I followed their development for a long time.
“I was at the old stadium in Kazan for a match with Dynamo Moscow, Khvicha came off the bench, made two completely unsuccessful dribbles and the fans reacted very negatively.
“At that stage he couldn’t cope with it. Every next move was bad, from start to finish. He got lost, the ball bounced off him, you could see that he had lost his confidence.
“He overcame it, but if it had continued, it would have been a problem. Being affected by a few thousand people in Kazan doesn’t lead to a good rating…
“Everyone knew he would be mega good, but they wondered how good. Whether he would be the absolute top or a bit lower
“Few had any doubts that he wouldn’t be anything at all. However, at that stage I had to write how it is, draw conclusions, write where the problems are.”
Pasieczny takes pride in the fact that as many as eight of the Arsenal side that overcame Real Madrid in the quarter-finals were signed under his watch, although he did reveal he was totally convinced by only seven.
He added: “Leandro Trossard — I thought he was not a player for Arsenal, but after his time at Brighton it turned out very well.
“I simply thought he was a player for a good English club, but not a top one. Something was missing, a bit of quality. Trossard was versatile, but he was a bit short of the top level.
“Nevertheless, I will give credit to the fact that he has proved to be very useful.
“Of course, it is difficult to judge now whether he reached this level thanks to Brighton, or whether I was wrong and he was ready then.”
SECOND CHANCE
JAKUB KIWIOR seemed certain to be heading out of the exit door at the Emirates this summer.
But the Polish defender has impressed manager Mikel Arteta so much that he could still have a future at Arsenal.
Kiwior, 25, has not exactly been a blazing success since his £21million move from Italian side Spezia in January 2023.
Although he has made just 25 Premier League appearances, he has improved recently and impressed when filling in for the injured Gabriel Magalhaes.
While there could be several arrivals and departures at Arsenal this summer, Arteta might consider that Kiwior is a useful squad player.
Although the centre-half has been looking at leaving, he could now be persuaded to stay.
Asked about Kiwior by a Polish journalist at his pre-match press conference before the Champions League second leg tie at PSG.
Arteta said: “He deserves a lot of credit because he hasn’t played too much for many months and sadly, he’s been thrown into the difficult situations at the highest level, playing against the best opponents.
“That is tough when you haven’t had the physical rhythm or the confidence to do it so he’s been exceptional.”
Jakub Kiwior has fought his way back into Mikel Arteta’s plans[/caption]
TOUGH SAL
KIWIOR’s resurgence could prove timely, with Real Madrid preparing a summer move to prise William Saliba out of Arsenal.
The Spanish giants, set to be under new management with Xabi Alonso lined up to replace Carlo Ancelotti, are ready to jettison former Chelsea ace Antonio Rudiger after his latest disciplinary flare-up brought a six-match ban for throwing ice at a referee from the bench.
France star Saliba is their prime target, despite the fact that the defender has two years left on his Gunners deal.
Arsenal are keen to open talks on a contract extension for Saliba, 24, in a bid to tie him to the club long-term.
But Madrid’s appeal to any world star has not abated, proven by the recent captures of Saliba’s France team-mate Kylian Mbappe and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Expect to read suggestions that he is “keen on a move” from Spain any time soon. The softening up process is about to begin.
Real Madrid are desperate to lure William Saliba to the club[/caption]
FAN-NING THE FLAMES
ARSENAL had 2000 supporters inside the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night and each of them were handed a free red and white scarf by the club.
Sadly, they did not have too much to cheer about during the game.
The away supporters were then kept at their seats for an hour after the final whistle and after being told they could leave, were then held in a separate area for a further 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, while the Londoners headed back to their hotels or for a quiet drink, it was all going off along the Champs-Elysees.
While PSG fans flocked to the famous street in their thousands, there was a car-ramming incident with three people injured as the celebrations got out of hand.
The Parisian supporters were so angry that they set the car on fire.
Arsenal fans were kept inside the Parc des Princes for more than an hour after the match had finished[/caption]
CUP A LOAD OF THAT
ARSENAL look like a team desperate for the campaign to end, and desperate for a summer break with their silverware dreams crushed.
Thoughts turn immediately to transfers. Owners Stan and Josh Kroenke are set to provide a hefty kitty — around £200m — to Mikel Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta to bring in several world class players in an attempt to end 19 years of league title hurt.
And the Club World Cup could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Gunners – forcing them to take action in the market sooner rather than later and giving them a better chance of landing their top targets.
Because of Gianni Infantino’s new ludicrous, US-based champions of champions competition – from June 14 to July 13 – the transfer window is going to be split in two this summer.
It will open between June 1 and June 10, then close for five days before running again from June 16 until September 1.
That first 10-day period should see plenty of teams – including Prem Club World Cup attendees Manchester City and Chelsea and other European sides – attempt to cash in quickly so they can take their new purchases to the States.
This will no doubt encourage Arsenal to do the same, to get ahead of their rivals and get some early business done before the ‘second’ window.
SunSport understands that Arteta is keen to get deals done earlier than usual this summer, especially after the January debacle that saw them spend too long on long-shot targets that they were not able to get over the line.
Talks with RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko in mid-January came to nothing and then a late £40m bid for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins went the same way.
It left Arsenal dangerously short up top, and has ultimately cost them both domestically and in Europe.
It is understood that the first 10 days of the summer window should see £51m midfield signing Martin Zubimendi join from Real Sociedad.
And significant ground work will also be made in getting an elite No.9 nailed down.
Especially as Sesko, Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak are in high demand by Manchester United, Liverpool and Barcelona.
Arteta is also known to prefer having all his new signings through the door and fully acclimatised BEFORE their pre-season tour, which this summer is in Singapore and Hong Kong from July 19 to July 31.
So, do not be surprised if Arsenal decide to avoid a long, drawn-out bidding war for Isak and go straight for the slightly cheaper options of Sesko or Gyokeres, or even Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.
There is hope that while City and Chelsea battle it out across the pond in a gruelling competition, Arsenal can welcome a few new faces to London Colney and get to work straight away.
Martin Zubimendi could join Arsenal within weeks[/caption]
IN GOOD MIK
NOT only has Mikel Merino been a saviour of sorts on the pitch – filling in as a striker these past few months – but he has also pleased the club with his willingness to engage in media activities, even after defeats.
Following Arsenal’s first leg 1-0 semi-final defeat to PSG at the Emirates, the Spaniard faced reporters in the mixed zone, and he did the same minutes after their 2-1 second leg loss in Paris.
He spoke of the need to learn from the mistakes, and insisted that this group would be ready to go again and win major trophies next year.
SunSport understands that Merino has become a reliable and trusted voice to sum up the emotions of the dressing room and to give positive, reassuring messages to journalists post-match, especially when results have not gone to plan.
It may sound like a small thing, but Merino’s commitment to this has not only left a good mark on reporters, but has also taken the weight off his teammates in these moments.
Arteta knew Merino would be a valuable squad member, and he is proving just that in more ways than one.
Mikel Merino is proving his worth off the pitch as well as on it[/caption]