Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger understands that Lassana Diarra’s career would have been written-off if the midfielder had stayed a Portsmouth player.
The Frenchman, who used to coach Diarra at Emirates Stadium for a short spell, believes that staying at Fratton Park would have wasted the midfielder’s career.
And the tactician has even used the word ‘miracle’ when speaking about Diarra’s January transfer to Real Madrid.
Wenger told TF1: “He was miraculously let through by Juande Ramos, who got to know him during his time in England.
“Otherwise his career would have been written-off in Portsmouth.
“He wanted to play immediately when he joined Arsenal and he wasn’t patient.”