Thousands of Tottenham fans will make the short trip across north London ahead of their clash with Arsenal at the Emirates today, just as Emmanuel Petit sneakily did back in 1997.
Emmanuel Petit almost joined Tottenham in 1997, before sneaking to Arsenal.
The French player revealed that Spurs even paid for a taxi to Arsene Wenger’s house but accidentally. After winning the Ligue 1 title with Monaco, Petit is looking for a new challenge and aims to move to the Premier League.
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.
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 see Arsène Wenger. [Arsenal vice-chairman] David Dein was also there. They arranged to meet us there because they wanted everything to be kept 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.”
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.
Petit then had three successful years at Arsenal, winning the double in his first season and forming a strong midfield partnership with compatriot Patrick Vieira, before moving to Barcelona in 2000. Injuries and, according to Small, Barça coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer’s tactical ineptitude cut short his career at Camp Nou and he returned to England a year later, this time with Chelsea.
Tottenham made another attempt to sign him that summer, but probably forced Petit to buy his own taxi after meeting him. The 1998 World Cup winner had a difficult time at Stamford Bridge, with injuries and poor form affecting his three years there. He was released in 2004 and retired a year later after being unable to recover from a knee injury.
