Gunners wanted Blues hitman this summer.
Arsenal wanted to sign Chelsea striker Diego Costa while he was still at Atletico Madrid, Arsene Wenger has revealed, according to the Daily Star.
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The Spanish international has been in superb form in the Premier League since he made the £32m move to Stamford Bridge this summer, and the Gunners boss has now revealed that he could have been lining up in an Arsenal shirt this season.
However, the Frenchman admits that the deal was done very quickly, not giving the north London giants a chance to compete for his signature.
Asked if he wanted to sign Costa, Wenger said: “Yes, but that was a deal that was struck early.
“Costa has done fantastically well, I must say. I am impressed by how well he has done.
“He has all the aspects of a striker that I like. He is focussed, always determined and ready for a fight.”
Arsenal made some big signings of their own this summer, bringing in superb attacking players such as Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck, but fans will no doubt be unhappy to hear that they missed out on one of the finest signings of the whole summer, especially given previous reports that Wenger also turned down the chance to sign Cesc Fabregas, who joined Chelsea from Barcelona.
The playmaker could have rejoined his old club, only for Wenger to decide against exercising his first refusal on him, and he and Costa have now played a big part in Chelsea’s fine start to the season.