Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit once convinced Tottenham he would sign for them – before getting into a taxi they paid for and heading to their bitter rivals.
Petit's former team host Spurs in their second North London Derby match of the season this evening (January 15). Mikel Arteta's Arsenal go into the match in good form after back-to-back defeats in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup at home, while a third defeat would have disastrous consequences for their Premier League title chances.
But the match has traditionally been as unpredictable as it has been spirited, with form largely going out the window thanks to the intense animosity between the two sides. Much of that stems from the way Arsenal moved from south-east London to Tottenham territory over a century ago, while some of it can be attributed to the actions of past players.
Sol Campbell's shock move from White Hart Lane to Highbury as a free agent is a case in point. But Petit's criticism of the Lilywhites on the same day he decided to meet their rivals is also staggering. “Tottenham put the contract on the table for me. I needed a few days to think about it but they didn't expect what happened next,” Petit told Mirror Football in 2018.
The Frenchman had traveled to London in 1997 to discuss a move away from Monaco with Spurs chairman Sir Alan Sugar. Arsenal got wind of the meeting and immediately sent a message to the midfielder not to sign anything until he heard Arsene Wenger's pitch about the new era he was building in N5.
Petit, who played under Wenger at Monaco, asked Sugar for time to think things over in his own hotel, with Spurs paying for the taxi to take him there. But the Frenchman diverted the taxi to Wenger's house, where he also met vice-president David Dein.
Keen to challenge for titles rather than fight relegation, the future World Cup winner signed a £3.5million deal with the Gunners. Petit explained to talkSPORT: “I had meetings with Tottenham and Arsenal on the same day and had a meeting with Tottenham in the morning, but when I came to England I knew nothing about the rivalry between the two clubs.
“When I left the Spurs stadium they booked me a taxi and the taxi driver asked me for directions so I gave him the Arsenal address and I didn't realize the taxi had been pre-paid by Spurs so they knew where I went!
“I told Spurs I needed time to think about it, but I knew I had to see Arsenal, as well as other clubs in Italy and Spain. I told everyone I would make a decision and when I knew the answer I would give it, but after a few days I signed for Arsenal and it was in the papers and suddenly the story emerged.'
Petit said about it again in 2018: “It's part of the legend now. David Dein still loves that story – and [more than] Twenty years later he's still telling it!”
Petit's transfer followed the arrival of compatriot Patrick Vieira the season before, with the pair forming a central midfield base that led Arsenal to a league and cup double. That launched Wenger's revolution, while adding salt to the wounds of the aggrieved Spurs faithful.
The ponytailed midfielder would spend three seasons in North London before seeking a move to Barcelona, later returning to play for another London rival: Chelsea.
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