Back in 2008, then Udinese midfielder Gokhan Inler rejected the chance to sign for Arsenal, having been linked for almost the entire summer and following the departure of Gilberto Silva, Aliaksandr Hleb and Mathieu Flamini. He was offered to opportunity to grow into a key player in the Arsenal midfield, and unfortunately, it didn't go as Arsene Wenger planned. Inler's agent, however, made his position clear, We have decided that Inler remains in Udinese, he explained. Any player would want to play for Arsenal of course, but for Inler this may be perhaps a little early. Maybe a season too early. He was 24 at the time and has since gone of to represent his nation at the World Cup and compete in the Champions League for Napoli (his current club). He isn't however, a household name yet, and he also isn't a player who would be on most people's shopping list if a midfielder was needed. Had he moved to Arsenal in 2008, he could have gone on to be one of the best footballers in Europe by now.
I have been described as a sportsman with the brain of an athlete and the body of a scientist. Since it was established that playing wouldn't work out for me I have taken to writing.
