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Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o claims he could have signed for Arsenal
CHELSEA striker Samuel Eto'o claims he could have signed for Arsenal back in 2000, but hasn't regretted snubbing them.
The Cameroon international was looking to leave Real Madrid at the time before he was lured to Mallorca.
Arsene Wenger was believed to be close to signing him, but the Mallorca boss Luis Aragones convinced him to join the La Liga outfit instead.
"I met Luis at a crucial moment in my life where I had to take the right direction - and thanks to him I did," Eto'o told a national paper.
"I was about to sign that very afternoon at Arsenal and maybe I would have never been the player I am today.
"Luis picked me, then I ended up joining Barcelona. That decision changed everything."
Eto'o made his Premier League debut at the weekend for the Blues, but he couldn't stop them slipping to a 1-0 defeat away at Everton.