The Outrage Economy: Why USMNT legends are always so angry

Héctor Bellerín: How could I dance at a funeral?

10 years of NXGN: Tracking progress of American wonderkids

From Mutiny to Miami, all 32 franchises in MLS history - ranked

Best players, coaches, teams of the 21st century - ranked

Editors' Picks

Ronaldo sends heartfelt 'honour' message to Modric

Club America vs Toluca: Stream, TV channels & where to watch

Napoli vs Cagliari: Stream, TV channels & where to watch

Sheffield United vs Sunderland: Stream, TV channels & where to watch

Grealish last to leave as City stars attend De Bruyne's farewell party

Arteta confirms Arsenal’s plans for Partey as deal runs down

Ballon d'Or Power Rankings: It's Dembele's to lose now

Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad: Stream, TV channels & where to watch

Fernandes sends message to McTominay after Serie A title win

Prolific Mbappe closes in on Golden Shoe as Modric bows out

Amorim confirms Man Utd stay & sends brutal message to Garnacho 

Klopp hits back at coaching return talk

How much does Emanuel Emegha earn at Strasbourg?

'We've a plan' - Amorim reacts to Garnacho & Fernandes exit talk

📽️ | Ribery over CR7! Muller takes on EPL vs Bundesliga quiz

How La Liga rule could help Barca tie down Yamal

What next for Araujo? Flick provides update on Barca defender

Bayern chief concedes defeat in Wirtz race

A man transformed! Gravenberch wins PL Young Player of the Season

Roord joins FC Twente after losing love for football at Man City

U17 WC, Arab Cup & more: Qatar's push to be capital of sports

📽️ | Lewandowski takes 'punch' from team-mate Szczesny

'An absolute mess' - De Bruyne explains emotional Madrid celebration

Latest News

American defender Ledezma reportedly signs with Chivas from PSV

'How the hell did we get here?' - Lalas blasts roster decisions

Gomez, Twellman call out U.S. Soccer for statement on Pulisic

The Rondo: Was Christian Pulisic justified to skip Gold Cup?

'Bad look for Pulisic' - Messi used as example for USMNT star

U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM

CF Montreal vs Los Angeles: Stream, TV & where to watch

Philadelphia Union vs Inter Miami CF: Stream, TV channels & where to watch

San Diego FC vs LA Galaxy: Stream, TV channels & where to watch

Seattle Sounders FC vs FC Dallas: Stream, TV channels & where to watch

Major League Soccer

End of an era: Trent's top 10 Liverpool moments

Top 10 Premier League managers of the season

How Slegers turned Arsenal around to reach UWCL final

Scott McTominay, the new king of Naples

Expert Opinion & Analysis

<p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><script type="application/json" data-placement="footballco-bet-betsense">{"type":"footballco-bet-betsense","data":{}}</script><p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><script type="application/json" data-placement="match-schedule">{"type":"match-schedule","data":{"channelId":"970b4092-1503-489f-8c1b-5f42e40e36b5","competitionId":"4oogyu6o156iphvdvphwpck10"}}</script><script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_d6e1e5da-7d9a-43d5-97e1-f4350a3cd7e3"}}</script><ul><li>Arsenal had the chance to sign Kvaratskhelia</li><li>The backroom staff was not convinced of his quality</li><li>Instead, they went for Marquinhos, who flopped at Emirates</li></ul><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va2ivxLJJhzdzbJdwo0n"><strong>Follow GOAL on WhatsApp!</strong></a> 🟢📱</td></tr></tbody></table>

Revealed: Why Arsenal snubbed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia move in 2022 as Gunners instead spent £3.5m on flop who made just six appearances

Coupe de France

Paris Saint-Germain

Reims

Premier League

Southampton

Arsenal

<p>Arsenal fans have been left wondering what might have been after it emerged the club passed on the opportunity to sign Kvaratskhelia, as they thought it would be more prudent to sign an unproven prospect from São Paulo. Making the most of the opportunity, Napoli moved decisively to snap up Kvaratskhelia from Rubin Kazan for just under £10 million ($13m). That calculated risk has since paid enormous dividends.</p>

WHAT HAPPENED?

<p>Kvaratskhelia hit the ground running in Serie A, spearheading Napoli’s attack and helping the club to its first league title in over three decades, pairing up with Victor Osimhen. His performances earned him the Serie A Most Valuable Player award and saw him named UEFA’s Champions League Young Player of the Season. Now, Tomasz Pasieczny, Arsenal’s former scout for Eastern Europe, has disclosed that the player had been on the Gunners' radar well before his eventual breakout in Italy. He eventually moved to PSG for a fee of £59 million ($78.5m) in January of 2025.</p>

THE BIGGER PICTURE

<p>Pasieczny recounted his first encounter with Kvaratskhelia during a youth tournament in Poland, where the Georgian team was competing. Although his initial assignment was to monitor other players, he quickly found himself engrossed in watching Kvaratskhelia and teammate Zuriko Davitashvili.</p><p>In an interview with <em>weszlo.com, </em>he said<em> : </em>"Georgia's youth team visited Poland, there was a qualifying tournament. My job was to pay attention to other teams, but when you saw them - Khvicha and Zuriko Davitashvili - we had long discussions with other scouts about who was better. Then I watched both of them in Russia, so I followed their development for a long time."</p><p>Pasieczny attended a match between Kazan and Dynamo Moscow where Kvaratskhelia struggled after coming off the bench, visibly shaken by the crowd’s negative reaction to a couple of poor dribbles.</p><p>"He couldn't cope with it. Every next move was bad, from start to finish. He got lost, the ball bounced off him, you could see that he had lost his confidence," Pasieczny added.
</p><p>"He overcame it, but if it had continued, it would have been a problem. Being affected by a few thousand people in Kazan doesn't lead to a good rating...Everyone knew he would be mega good, but they wondered how good. Whether he would be the absolute top or a bit lower. Few had any doubts that he wouldn't be anything at all. However, at that stage I had to write how it is, draw conclusions, write where the problems are."</p>

WHAT PASIECZNY SAID

<p>Fast-forward to the present day, and the decision not to pursue the <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/lists/mikel-arteta-arsenal-champions-league-semi-final-defeat-psg/blt8468e97d1dce1266#cs289759d1ff988872" target="_blank">Georgian winger appears all the more painful.</a> Just a couple of days before, <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/much-better-than-them-mikel-arteta-arsenal-best-team-champions-league-semi-final-defeat-psg-gunners-boss-upset/bltddcb4ff3d1242074" target="_blank">Kvaratskhelia played a pivotal role in ending Arsenal’s Champions League run</a>, underlining the gulf in quality between what the Gunners bought and what they let slip away. The forward now aims to propel PSG to a historic treble. Having already secured the Ligue 1 crown, the French giants remain in contention for both the Champions League and French Cup.</p>

WHAT NEXT?

Revealed: Why Arsenal snubbed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia move in 2022 as Gunners instead spent £3.5m on flop who made just six appearances | Goal.com US

Arsenal had reportedly snubbed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in 2022 as the Gunners instead spent £3.5m on Marquinhos, who made just six appearances.

Want to go deeper? Ask

Next matches