Arsenal are no strangers to stealing players from Tottenham. Once they snatched a future world champion
Right now, we’re witnessing the saga as Arsenal have all but hijacked winger Eberechi Eze from Tottenham. But this isn’t the first time the Gunners have stolen a player right from under their rivals’ noses—something similar happened nearly 30 years ago.
Details: In the summer of 1997, Monaco midfielder Emmanuel Petit was on the verge of joining Tottenham. But Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger caught wind of Spurs’ plans and paved the way for the future World Cup winner to make his mark in English football.
The instructions were clear: Petit was not to sign anything until he’d heard Wenger’s pitch. So, he told Tottenham’s executives he needed some time to think it over at his hotel.
Spurs even paid for a taxi to take the player back to his room, but the journey took an unexpected turn—the car delivered him straight to Wenger’s house, where, alongside vice-chairman David Dein, Petit put pen to paper on a £3.5 million deal.
Quote: “When I was leaving Tottenham’s stadium, they ordered me a taxi. The driver asked for the address—I gave him Arsenal’s address and didn’t even realize the ride was paid for by Spurs, meaning they knew exactly where I was going!” Petit recalled in an interview with talkSPORT.
Liam Garcia
Dailysports's expert
