Why PSG and Arsenal never do transfer business | OneFootball

Despite Arsenal long being a haven for French players, they and PSG have completed only one transfer, Nicolas Anelka’s 1997 switch to London for €760,000. According to L'Équipe, the pathway between the clubs has remained closed ever since.

Across three decades PSG have traded with Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle and Manchester City, yet not with Arsenal. Talk of frosty relations is played down, with circumstance cited as the reason.

During Alain Roche’s 2003 to 2012 tenure, moving for Premier League players was seen as unrealistic. An enquiry for Eidur Gudjohnsen at Chelsea was dropped once the wages emerged.

QSI’s 2011 arrival boosted PSG’s finances, but recruitment rarely pointed at Arsenal. Leonardo prioritised Serie A, while Antero Henrique relied on networks outside England. PSG once sounded out Hector Bellerin, then cooled after seeing him model at Paris Fashion Week.

On Arsenal’s side, the club seldom targeted players from France’s biggest teams, aside from Alexandre Lacazette. Moves for academy products Mamadou Sakho and Christopher Nkunku did not happen, and since the Qatar era taking players from PSG has been difficult. Arsène Wenger admired Thiago Motta, but a deal was not feasible.

Arsenal did prise Anelka from Paris, then sold him to Real Madrid two years later for 34 million euros, a French record at the time. That windfall helped push Arsenal into a new dimension and legitimised the club’s sporting policy, encouraging more young talent to follow.

Source: L'Équipe