A former Arsenal scout has revealed the club did not sign Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City in the summer of 2020 because he was "already too expensive".
Bellingham, 19, is regarded as one of the best young footballers in Europe after a series of stunning performances in the Champions League for Borussia Dortmund and at the World Cup in Qatar for England. He has already made 159 senior club appearances.
A number of top clubs - including Manchester United - were interested in signing Bellingham when he joined Dortmund from boyhood club Birmingham two-and-a-half years ago. It now appears Arsenal were one of those, according to a Francis Cagigao.
Ex-employee Cagigao worked as a scout for Arsenal for more than 23 years before his departure in the summer of 2020 - shortly after Bellingham joined Dortmund. He was responsible for spotting a number of talented youngsters during his long spell at the club.
The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Emiliano Martinez, Granit Xhaka, Robin van Persie, Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba and even current boss Mikel Arteta, who played for Arsenal between 2011 and 2016, were all signed due to in part to Cagigao's recommendations.
One of Cagigao's final acts at the Emirates was to recommend the signing of Bellingham, who had recently completed a full season in the Championship as a 16-year-old. Yet Arsenal could not afford him, as he joined Dortmund for an initial £25million.
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"I saw him for the first time when he was 16 years old," Cagigao told AS. "I wanted to sign him for Arsenal, but he was already too expensive. He is very good. What is clear is that if they have paid that amount for Enzo [Fernandez], he is also going to pay for Bellingham."
Cagigao was referring to Enzo Fernandez's £107m move from Benfica to Chelsea, which was finalised on deadline. The Argentina international, 22, commanded a British-record transfer fee after winning the Young Player Award at the World Cup in Qatar.
When asked if Bellingham was also worth more than £100m, Cagigao replied: "I don't know how to classify who is a £100m footballer. I can say who is a top footballer, good, mediocre or bad. No coach should value a footballer in those terms. That's up to the leaders."
Cagigao was also asked whether he recommended Arteta as a coach in the same way he approved him as a player. He replied: "The club managers asked me for a coach and I gave his name. He had the vocation and the spirit for it. My opinion was clear. He seemed like a great coach to me, just like Unai Emery seems to me."
Arteta has transformed Arsenal from Europa League contenders into Premier League title challengers. They are currently five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table with a game in hand, despite losing 1-0 at Everton on Saturday afternoon.
Cagigao believes Arsenal will go on to win the title. When asked, he said: "It is in his [Arteta's] hands and it will be difficult for him to escape with the advantage he has."
