Arsene Wenger went to great lengths in an attempt to convince Kylian Mbappe and his family to join Arsenal, long before Mbappe signed his first professional contract. Wenger recognized Mbappe’s immense potential from a young age when he was accepted into France’s prestigious Clairefontaine academy, following in the footsteps of former Arsenal players.
In 2013, Wenger made a personal visit to Mbappe’s family home in France to meet with his parents, Fayza and Wilfried, in a bid to persuade the teenager to come to Arsenal. Wenger was not the only club interested, but Mbappe’s family always intended for him to remain in France to develop his game, rather than moving abroad.
Wenger made another attempt to sign Mbappe in 2016, after he had begun making a name for himself at Monaco, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
Former Arsenal scout Gilles Grimandi described this as the biggest disappointment of his 15-year tenure, as they came close to convincing Mbappe and his family, but he ended up signing his first professional contract with Monaco instead.
