‘Spurs made me an offer and ordered me a taxi – I got in and signed for Arsenal’
Emmanuel Petit came very close to joining Tottenham in 1997, before sneaking off to sign for Arsenal instead.
The Frenchman revealed that Spurs even paid for his taxi to Arsene Wenger's house, albeit unknowingly. After winning the Ligue 1 title with Monaco, Petit was looking for a new challenge and had a move to the Premier League in his sights.
He initially met with Tottenham at White Hart Lane and was hastily offered a contract, and after telling the club he needed a day or two to think things over they ordered him a cab. Little did they know, they were driving him into the arms of their hated rivals.
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"When I got in the taxi, the driver asked me where I wanted to go," Petit told FourFourTwo in June. "I was with some people, and we were going to Arsene Wenger’s house. [Arsenal vice-chairman] David Dein was there, too. They arranged for us to meet there, as they wanted everything to be secret.
"Arsenal’s offer was far better than Spurs’ and I really wanted to play for Arsene again, because he was my first coach at Monaco and the one who gave me an opportunity in the first team. He put his trust in me. Arsene spoke to me on a different level, as a human being … there was no doubt in my mind that I would go to Arsene, and Mr Dein was also very kind."
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At the time, Wenger hadn't won anything at Arsenal, but Petit said the ambition the club showed while trying to sign him convinced him he was making the right call. "I could feel their desire and I was excited by the project they put on the table, with the guys I was set to play alongside," he continued. "After three hours I said, 'Yeah, I’m ready to sign for you'."
It wouldn't be the last time a player moved to Arsenal after deceiving Spurs. Sol Campbell infamously joined the Gunners on a Bosman in 2001 after explicitly promising to sign an extension at White Hart Lane.
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Petit went on to have a successful three-year stint at Arsenal, winning the double in his first season and forming a ferocious midfield partnership with compatriot Patrick Vieira, before sealing a move to Barcelona in 2000. Injuries and, in Petit's view, the tactical ineptitude of Barca manager Lorenzo Serra Ferrer curtailed his Camp Nou career and he returned to England a year later, this time with Chelsea.
Tottenham made another attempt to sign him that summer, though presumably made Petit buy his own cab after meeting him. The 1998 World Cup winner ended up having a torrid time at Stamford Bridge, with injuries and poor form plaguing his three-year spell. He was released on a free in 2004 and retired a year later after failing to recover from a knee problem.
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