Dick Law explains why Arsenal decided against signing a young Eden Hazard

Law worked for the Premier League club between 2005 and 2018 in various roles, including mediating transfer and contract negotiations. He revealed in an interview with Goal that the club missed out on some big-name players after their 2006 move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium, as they struggled to compete with their domestic rivals in the market. “We had the financial muscle, but the risk-reward calculation wasn’t clear,” he said. “Spending a lot of money on a player that didn’t work out would have really put the club in some financial straits. “Did we miss out on talents? Certainly. I remember sitting in meetings with Steve [Rowley], Ivan [Gazidis] and Arsene [Wenger] and gnashing our teeth over Thibaut Courtois. We knew he was good. “Eden Hazard as well, we wanted to do that deal. But there was a sense of responsibility and running the club prudently, all the time knowing that every £1 we spent we had to act as if it was our money. “It was very, very difficult.” RECOMMENDED Arsenal’s captain curse: how Laurent Koscielny exacerbates an already-embarrassing problem Now read… RANKED! The 10 best centre-backs in the world FEATURE 12 youngsters who decided to leave big clubs early – and were much better off Topics Arsenal, Transfer news, Premier League Arsenal keen to offload these two big earners – and know their replacements Arsenal target Yannick Carrasco admits he has an “offer on the table” 5 centre-backs Arsenal could realistically sign this summer Young Arsenal defender wants to leave this summer – report Aribo keen to emulate Toure and Vieira after comparisons to midfield duo VAR used to check 10 incidents per game at Women’s World Cup, FIFA reveals Bolton administrators taking legal action against would-be owner Bassini Benfica defender scouted by Manchester United as negotiations begin Barcelona grab Griezmann after triggering buyout clause Ranked! The 10 best centre-backs in the world Forbes have revealed the world’s most valuable football clubs – and Premier League dominates Juan Mata rejected insane offer to stay at Manchester United – report Highest-paid footballers revealed by Forbes as Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar feature Wolves’ ambitious owners understand they can’t match the Big Six – and that’s why they might actually break it