- The under-fire Frenchman has revealed he tried to lure the highly-rated striker to the Emirates Stadium from Anderlecht in 2011, before he instead opted to join Chelsea
Arsene Wenger has revealed Everton striker Romelu Lukaku was once a transfer target for Arsenal.
The Belgium international has been in inspired form for the Toffees in the current campaign, netting 25 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions.
And ahead of coming up against Lukaku and Everton at the weekend, Wenger divulged that he tried to lure the forwa to Arsenal prior to his move to Chelsea from Anderlecht in 2011.
"Yes, we have known him since he was in Belgium but at the time he opted to go for Chelsea," said Wenger.
"I agree he is developing well and year after year he is better. His finishing is better, his technical link with players is better and he is promising to have a big career because that is always a sign if year after year he gets better numbers.
"No [we did not move for him once he was at Chelsea] because he went out on loan and I did expect him to go back to Chelsea, so after that we are never on the case."
Asked specifically how he would cope with the threat of Lukaku, Wenger continued: "Look, we just played against [Lionel] Messi, [Luis] Suarez and Neymar so now you give us another headache.
"I think our defenders will get encouragement from the defensive performance they produced against Barcelona."
The Gunners travel to Goodison Park on Saturday on the back of a torrid run of form, bowing out of both the FA Cup and the Champions League in their last two matches.
Third-placed Arsenal desperately need a positive result against Everton if they're to have any chance of winning the Premier League, currently sitting 11 points behind shock leaders Leicester with just one game in hand.
But despite heading into the game following a 3-1 loss at the hands of Barcelona on Wednesday, Wenger believes his side can take plenty of positives from their defeat at Camp Nou into their clash with Everton.
"We had a dynamic, mobile, fluid performance. We had 20 shots on goal, 12 shots on target in Barcelona and overall I believe our performance was positive,” added Wenger.
"I just want us to play with the same passion and drive until the end of the season now. Everton is a tough place to go, they have big strong squad and a team with huge potential as well. We expect a strong opponent."
Arsene Wenger has revealed Everton striker Romelu Lukaku was once a transfer target for Arsenal.
The Belgium international has been in inspired form for the Toffees in the current campaign, netting 25 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions.
And ahead of coming up against Lukaku and Everton at the weekend, Wenger divulged that he tried to lure the forwa to Arsenal prior to his move to Chelsea from Anderlecht in 2011.
"Yes, we have known him since he was in Belgium but at the time he opted to go for Chelsea," said Wenger.
"I agree he is developing well and year after year he is better. His finishing is better, his technical link with players is better and he is promising to have a big career because that is always a sign if year after year he gets better numbers.
"No [we did not move for him once he was at Chelsea] because he went out on loan and I did expect him to go back to Chelsea, so after that we are never on the case."
Asked specifically how he would cope with the threat of Lukaku, Wenger continued: "Look, we just played against [Lionel] Messi, [Luis] Suarez and Neymar so now you give us another headache.
"I think our defenders will get encouragement from the defensive performance they produced against Barcelona."
The Gunners travel to Goodison Park on Saturday on the back of a torrid run of form, bowing out of both the FA Cup and the Champions League in their last two matches.
Third-placed Arsenal desperately need a positive result against Everton if they're to have any chance of winning the Premier League, currently sitting 11 points behind shock leaders Leicester with just one game in hand.
But despite heading into the game following a 3-1 loss at the hands of Barcelona on Wednesday, Wenger believes his side can take plenty of positives from their defeat at Camp Nou into their clash with Everton.
"We had a dynamic, mobile, fluid performance. We had 20 shots on goal, 12 shots on target in Barcelona and overall I believe our performance was positive,” added Wenger.
"I just want us to play with the same passion and drive until the end of the season now. Everton is a tough place to go, they have big strong squad and a team with huge potential as well. We expect a strong opponent."
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