Real Madrid have a fantastic recent record when it comes to identifying and signing young talents from all over the world. The likes of Vinicius Jr, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga and Rodrgyo were all signed as teenagers. All five of them can be considered as regular starters in Carlo Ancelotti’s team, when fit and available.
In the case of Valverde, it looks like things could have turned out a lot differently. The Uruguayan international might have ended up at Arsenal.
Real Madrid signed Valverde back in 2016 from Penarol. He has gradually made his way up through the ranks over the years to where he is today, one of the most highly-rated midfielders in the game who almost any club in Europe would be delighted to have.
As reported by Metro, a year before his move to Real Madrid, Valverde was allowed to take part in a trial with Arsenal. But the London club opted not to pursue a deal with Penarol.
Of course, Valverde has gone on to establish himself as a star midfielder at Real Madrid. Today he is rated at a transfer value higher than £100 million and is surely another ‘what if’ story for Arsenal.
The Premier League club have a long history of missing out on players who go on to become superstars in the game. Valverde’s name has been added to the list which includes the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, N’Golo Kante, Eden Hazard and more.
Valverde currently seems to be a vital part of this Real Madrid team, even though the competition in the middle of the park is very high. Thus, it will be interesting to see if the Uruguayan gets regular starts this season. He started the first three games of the campaign and was a substitute vs Getafe.
