The Gunners missed out on a great opportunity to sign one of the most promising strikers on the market. Now with AC Milan, Niang admitted to have been close to playing for Arsenal in 2012. Still at Caen back then, the striker was one of Wenger’s favorite players. The 19 year old apparently spent hours with the Frenchman before signing with Milan. Apparently, the clubs had a hard time getting on the same page from a financial point of view. Milan on the other hand, had the bigger offer and convinced Caen’s management to sell Niang.

According to the Daily Mail, Niang was a few minutes away from signing with Arsenal. The 19 year old spoke face to face with Wenger and spent a lot of time discussing his future. Unfortunately for both sides, financially things did not go so well.

The French striker had a hard time acclimatising to Italian football. In 35 appearance he only scored once which is not that great for a player whose job is to do just that. It is hard to tell if the Premier League would have been better suited for the Frenchman who is still having a hard time making his way to the first team. He is just 19 though and has a lot of time to show that he is the amazing player Wenger saw while trying to sign him from Caen.