Arsenal fans have good cause to resent Gael Clichy. Had it not been for the Frenchman, their club might have signed Gareth Bale. Bale was playing left-back for Southampton at the time and Wenger revealed he had the opportunity to snap the young Welshman up, but passed up on the offer as he already had defensive cover. Questioned on whether he could have had Bale, Wenger said:
"Yes, but we had full-backs at the time. We had Clichy, we had Cole."
Did Wenger's faith in Clichy pay off? Not a little bit. In 2011, the fullback became the latest player to jump ship and join the Manchester City revolution, ensuring he alienated himself from not only Gunners fans but Wenger himself, it would seem, as the Arsenal chief would later snub the defender in the tunnel prior to a Premier League game against the Citizens.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
