Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that he made a "huge mistake" in not signing Gareth Bale from Southampton.
The Wales international eventually moved to Gunners' rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2007 and has since become the PFA Player of the Year.
"We didn't take him because we had Ashley Cole and [Gael] Clichy and we didn't want to add another left-back, but I must honestly confess it was a huge mistake," Wenger told Al Jazeera.
Bale has been attracting interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid this summer.