Real Madrid midfield sensation reveals why he snubbed Arsenal move after week-long trial

Real Madrid midfield sensation Federico Valverde has revealed why he snubbed the chance to move to England and join Arsenal earlier in his career. 

Valverde recently revealed he came close to joining the Gunners after a trial at the club back in 2016, but instead chose to join Real from Uruguayan outfit Penarol.

That decision has certainly proved to be justified, with Valverde going on to make 221 appearances for Los Blancos so far, winning two LaLiga titles and the Champions League in the process.

However, things could have ended up very differently for the 25-year-old had he opted to take a different path as a 16-year-old.

The Uruguay international has revealed why the move never materialised despite him being pushed in the direction of the north London giants.

“If you Google me, you will see stories about how I almost went to Arsenal when I was 16. That’s maybe half-true,” Valverde wrote in his column for The Players’ Tribune.

“It’s nothing against Arsenal, but I never wanted to go to England. At that time, the business side of football took over.

“Certain people were telling me, ‘Who wouldn’t want to go play for Arsenal? You want to stay here in Uruguay? That’s crazy!’. What they were really saying under their breath was, ‘We can all make a lot of money if you go’.

“You realise that your life is not your own in football. Especially at a young age, you feel more like a hostage. Even your family becomes a hostage. Football is an escape to a better life, especially for us in South America, and the vultures know that.”

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Valverde unhappy with dealmakers

Indeed, Valverde claims that he was only touted to Arsenal in order for figures around him to pocket significantly from the move.

He added: “They put the pressure on you in a ‘nice’ way. ‘Damn, Fede, if you go to Arsenal, you’ll have a nice bed and a shower that stays warm for 30, 40 minutes! Who wouldn’t want that life?’.

“They sent me on trial to London for a week, and I just wasn’t comfortable. If you only think of material things, it sounds great. But we are not robots.

“The reality was that my family couldn’t come to London with me. I’d have to live alone, not speaking the language, at 16-years-old. For every one kid who succeeds in moving overseas, you don’t see the 100 who fail.”

Arsenal’s big miss has certainly been Real’s gain, with Valverde becoming a regular starter for Real as they move away from the long-term partnership of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in their midfield engine room.

As for the Gunners, it’s been a revolving door of midfield talent at the Emirates since 2016 and Mikel Arteta remains keen on bringing in another addition to partner big-money summer signing Declan Rice in either January or next summer.

Arteta’s men are back in action after the international break when they head to Brentford in the Premier League on November 25.

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