Galatasary goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso reveals reason behind failed Arsenal move

Galatasary goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso has confirmed he was in talks over a summer switch to Arsenal but a move fell through due to "a bug with the agents".

Carrasso was released by Ligue 1 outfit Bordeaux at the end of last season and completed a move to Galatsary on Friday (8 September) after proposed switches to the Gunners and Sporting Lisbon failed to materialise during the summer transfer window.

The Frenchman, capped just once by his country in 2011, was Bordeaux's first-choice 'keeper last season and helped Jocelyn Gourvennec's side achieve qualification to the Europa League, though their overseas adventures were surprisingly cut short by Videoton in the third qualifying round of the competition.

The 35-year-old will now try and help Galatasary achieve glory in the Turkish Super Lig but revealed that he had accepted an offer from Sporting in the summer. His move to Lisbon stalled due to issues with agents, and the same problem also put paid to a potential move to Arsenal, though he admitted he was "not very interested" in being the reserve option to Petr Cech and David Ospina in north London.

"This offer [from Sporting] I accepted," Carrasso told L'Equipe, relayed by the Metro. "Everything was OK but it messed up. There was a bug with the agents there.

"Same for Arsenal. Arsene wanted to work with three good goalkeepers. I had to go as a third. At the beginning, I said to myself: 'Third to do nothing, if not to be in the group, it is not very interesting.

"But then I told myself: "It is still Arsenal!" And then again there was a problem with agents."

Carrasso's failed Arsenal switch is the least of Arsene Wenger's worries at the moment. The former Strasbourg boss has come in for severe scrutiny once again after the Gunners were beaten by Liverpool before the international break and will be hoping his side can lift themselves from their footballing abyss with a much-needed home victory against Bournemouth, who have endured an even worse start to the new season, losing all of their opening three league matches.