‘I was fuming’… Two-time Premier League winner says he was so angry he couldn’t sign for Arsenal

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Arsenal have had their fair share of transfer near misses over the years.

The Gunners have missed out on some top quality players, while they have also missed out on some perhaps lesser-known names who could’ve had their careers transformed by getting that move to Arsenal.

One such player who almost got a move to Arsenal was Mark Schwarzer, and now, speaking on the Football’s Greatest Podcast, the Australian has spoken about how that move fell through and how he felt afterwards.

Schwarzer says that he was furious after Fulham blocked his move to Arsenal, claiming that this was his one and only chance to be a number one at a top club.

Mark Schwarzer wanted to join Arsenal

The Australian spoke about almost joining the Gunners.

“Yes, it was really tough. One of the most difficult times of my career. I felt it was dealt with really badly, again. The more we ignore it the more it would die down, it took me a while to get my head right and I was furious. Of course I was angry at him (Mark Hughes), but I didn’t hold it against him. I kind of get it, but I was more annoyed by the lack of effort to make it happen. That’s what hurt me, this was my one and only chance to be a number one at a massive club. I was fuming, I was angry, I was falling out with people trying to get out of the club,” Schwarzer said.

What could’ve been

This could’ve been a career-changing move for Schwarzer, and perhaps a transformative move for Arsenal too.

Let’s not forget, back in 2010, Arsenal had all sorts of goalkeeping problems.

Manuel Almunia, with all due respect, wasn’t good enough, Lukasz Fabianski was also very shaky as a young player, while Wojciech Szczesny wasn’t ready to make that step-up to the first-team just yet.

Schwarzer would’ve been a great option for Arsenal, but sadly, that wasn’t meant to be.

Luckily, Schwarzer did eventually win some silverware as he eventually joined Chelsea and Leicester where he would win two Premier League titles, albeit as a backup.