Former Arsenal target Manuel Neuer has revealed all regarding the Gunners’ approach for him, while Martin Odegaard has reacted to Saturday’s win over Brighton
David Raya was once again one of Arsenal’s stars in a key win over Brighton, but the goalkeeper position wasn’t always so settled. In fact, there was a time when the Gunners made an approach for Manuel Neuer, long before he became the household name fans know today.
Neuer, 39, is in his 20th year as a professional and is widely regarded as one of the greatest stoppers of his generation. However, it might have been Arsenal who benefited most from his supreme talents had he ended up in north London instead.
Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard was key in Arsenal’s win over Brighton as he scored the opener, but it was another leader figure being picked out for praise. Mirror Football breaks down all the latest around the Emirates as the Premier League leaders prepare to host Aston Villa on Tuesday.
Neuer turned down Arsenal approach
Bayern Munich and Germany legend Neuer has revealed how he once came close to signing for Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal. At the time, the 2014 World Cup-winner was still emerging from Schalke’s academy and was a relative unknown.
It’s a testament to Wenger’s well-founded youth recruitment nous that his network identified Neuer at such a young age. However, there was a key factor that prevented the future 12-time Bundesliga champion from progressing any further with the move.
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“After the under-19s, Koln were very interested in me, and so were Arsenal,” said the Germany icon on At Broski. “At the time, Arsene Wenger was still the coach and spoke many languages. But I didn’t want to go abroad because I knew how difficult it is as a young goalkeeper.”
Fast-forward to today, and Neuer is yet to leave his home country at any point in his career. The veteran No. 1 left Schalke to join Bayern in 2011 and has gone on to make 581 appearances for the club, lifting two Champions League titles and two FIFA Club World Cups.
In another life, he may have followed in the footsteps of compatriot Jens Lehmann by becoming an Arsenal icon instead. However, he’ll instead go down as one of the many youth prospects identified by Wenger and his team who didn’t come to fruition.
Odegaard lauds Rice transition
Arsenal’s 2-1 win against Brighton was all the more impressive given the late setbacks Mikel Arteta and his men had to contend with. More specifically, it was the defence that was further hampered when Jurrien Timber pulled out on the eve of the clash, only for Riccardo Calafiori to suffer an injury in the warm-up.
With Ben White already unavailable, that left Arteta to great creative with his options at right-back. And it was Declan Rice who dutifully stepped up to fill the void in a makeshift role, leading to praise from captain Odegaard.
“It was an unbelievable performance from him [Rice],” said the Norwegian after the win. “To play right-back, probably the first time in his life, and then do it the way he did it today was unbelievable, so a really, really good performance from him.
“And that’s just our team. Everyone is ready to do whatever it takes, and that [Rice’s performance] was another good example of that.”
The adulation is admirable, given Odegaard is aware of the calls from fans and pundits suggesting Rice should replace him as captain. Arsenal legend Tony Adams is among the most prominent voices to have platformed the idea at the start of this season.
The former Gunner suggested Arteta is holding the team back by keeping Odegaard as his captain. He even went so far as to make the claim his old side are “not going to win the league with Odegaard as captain.”
Crediting Rice for his performance on Saturday, even despite the pseudo-rivalry, indicates the maturity of a leader. And if there’s any competition that exists between the pair, Odegaard’s remarks suggest he’s not willing to entertain it.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
