Abou Diaby turned Liverpool down for Marseille, dubiously claim L’Equipe

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Marseille have today signed former Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby on a pay-as-you-play deal. According to very strange reports in France – cited here by the Metro – this switch has left Liverpool feeling very disappointed.

Diaby, who the source state also held talks with West Brom, was reportedly approached by the Reds over a similar deal but instead elected to return to France.

The injury-prone midfielder, who has played just 16 top flight games in the last four seasons, will be looking to kick-start his struggling career across the channel – three years on from his man-of-the-match performance at Anfield.

Diaby, who is now 29, came to Arsenal from Auxerre in 2005 and was widely expected to follow in the footsteps of former Gunners favourite Patrick Vieira. However, the combative midfielder’s constant battle against injuries meant that he was never able to fulfil his true potential.

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His infamous record with various ailments makes it all the more unbelievable that we could have ever been interested in the player – let alone this summer, when long-term admirer Arsene Wenger has finally admitted defeat in the quest to get him playing at his best.

We could arguably still do with another midfielder this summer – with only five central players currently vying for three positions – and a powerhouse player like Diaby is something that is missing from our squad.

However, with Diaby making Daniel Sturridge look practically unbreakable, we can’t imagine that our bosses are even remotely disappointed by seeing this one slip though our fingers – so to speak.

I’m sure even the most ardent of Arsenal-haters wouldn’t begrudge Diaby, a player so well known for his unfortunate past, a pleasant end to his career in France. But there’s no way he’ll ever be walking out at Anfield again.

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