Real Madrid GM Jorge Valdano doesn't believe Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger would've been suited to the pressure-cooker atmosphere at the Bernabeu.

Valdano admits Real tried to land Wenger in the summer before appointing Manuel Pellegrini as coach.

He told The Times: "This is the kingdom of urgency. I imagine he values the calm in which he works there.

"At Madrid, if you lose a game, it obliges you to manage a catastrophe."

But were they close to a deal?

"I felt that we were closer than ever before," he smiled.