Arsenal was interested in signing Dele Alli – Wenger

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has revealed that they were interested in signing Dele Alli, before he joined their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.

Alli moved to White Hart Lane from MK Dons in February 2015 and has gone on win the PFA Young Player of the Year twice.

Ahead of the North London Derby this Sunday, Wenger says Alli could have easily been wearing the red and white.

“Yes, I think we looked at him,” Wenger told a news conference on Friday.

“We watched him a few times because we watched a lot at Milton Keynes.

“He has done extremely well and is a very complete player. It’s marvellous at his age. They’ve done well to buy him and to give him a chance.”

Wenger also played down talk, that Spurs finishing above Arsenal for the first time since he became manager, means there is a power shift in North London.

“Let’s be honest: I’ve answered that question about a ‘shift’ for 18 consecutive years. You can’t say that the merit of one year has the merit of 20,” he said.

“It’s certainly one of the few times where Spurs look favourite in people’s minds. It looks a bit like that but it doesn’t matter much to me.

“The priority for us is to finish in the top four. After that, for pride and for the continuity of our achievement, we want to fight to be above Spurs.

“I expect an open, committed match at high pace. There could be goals in there because both teams play positive football and play in an offensive way.

“We’re playing for our future and to continue our run. We know what is needed from us until the end of the season so on that front it’s quite easy to prepare.

“I don’t think that the top three is decided. But we have an opportunity to be in there only if we win our games.”

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