He rejected Arsene Wenger because Arsenal weren't the 'best' option, now Mikel Arteta wants to sign him

Arsenal are still on the market for a new attacker in this window.

The Gunners tried to sign Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Jr earlier this summer, and either player would’ve been a magnificent addition to the squad.

However, Chelsea ended up overpaying to sign Rogers, and Vinicius decided to sign a new contract at Real Madrid.

The priority for Arsenal appears to be Julian Alvarez, but another name has now come out of the rumour mill.

Arsenal consider signing Victor Osimhen years after he rejected Arsene Wenger

Victor Osimhen has been on Arsenal’s radar for a long, long time.

The Nigerian has been one of the most prolific strikers in Europe for the better part of the last decade, and he has been linked with several big clubs across the continent.

The Telegraph revealed that Osimhen’s name emerged during discussions between Arsenal and Galatasaray recently.

Foot Mercato have gone a step further and claimed he is Mikel Arteta’s priority target.

It remains to be seen what will happen in the coming weeks, but Arsenal’s interest is nothing new for Osimhen – he has had it for about a decade.

Back when he was just 17 years old and helped Nigeria win the U17 World Cup, Arsene Wenger called the striker and asked him to join Arsenal.

However, Osimhen rejected the Gunners because they weren’t the best option for him at the time, as he wanted to join a club where he would play regularly.

“I spoke with Arsene Wenger after the tournament ended, and he wanted me to come to Arsenal,” Osimhen told the Independent in 2020.

“I had a lot of options. Barcelona; Inter Milan; Atletico Madrid; Juventus and the rest. Arsenal was a good option, but it wasn’t the best at the time.

“I wanted to start playing as soon as I turned 18. I wanted to go to a place where I had time to invest in my game and improve physically. Wolfsburg showed me that possibility.”

Choosing Wolfsburg over Arsenal backfired for Victor Osimhen

For a young player, you would assume that joining a club like Wolfsburg would offer more opportunities than Arsenal.

Osimhen believed that too, but he made just 16 senior appearances for them and failed to score a single goal. Then, after a season away on loan, Osimhen was sold the following year.

The Nigeria international has come a long way since to become one of the best strikers in Europe, but one can only wonder how different things would’ve been had he joined Arsenal.

Wenger developed young players better than most others, so we think he would’ve turned Osimhen into an even bigger superstar had he agreed to join the Gunners.

That chapter is closed now, but it remains to be seen if another will open with Arsenal signing him in this window.