Hamburg star is one of the most highly rated ‘keepers in Europe.
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Hamburg goalkeeper Rene Adler has revealed that Premier League giants Arsenal have tried to sign him on two separate occasions in the past, only for the shot stopper to reject the north London club’s advances on each occasion, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.
The coveted Germany international was the subject of much speculation over the course of the summer linking him with a possible move to the Emirates.
However, in the end Gunners head coach Arsene Wenger opted to instead stick with much-criticised Polish custodian Wojciech Szczesny as his No 1 this season, although Adler says that he did not have any contact whatsoever with the Frenchman during the summer transfer window.
In fact, the first occasion that Arsenal tried to lure Adler to the capital came when he was just 15 years of age, before the club then make a second attempt to sign the player eight years ago after an impressive showing in the 2005 Fifa Under-20 World Cup.
“When I was 15 there was the opportunity to move to Arsenal, but I decided to go to Leverkusen to get a professional contract there,” Adler said as part of Strongbow’s EARN IT. campaign in Berlin.
“There was contact after the Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands. I played against Lionel Messi and some other big names and there was contact with Arsenal.”
And speaking about the recent rumours linking the 28-year-old with a move to the Gunners, Adler confirmed that: “There was no contact. It’s a big honour for me if a club like Arsenal are interested in me, but I’ve never talked with Arsene Wenger.”
However, the German did offer some hope to Arsenal fans that be could one day move to the Emirates by admitting that: “Maybe I’d like to play in England. You can’t say in football.
“Football in England is some kind of religion. The fans, the culture behind the big clubs is very interesting.”