How about your luck? Tottenham believed they were on the verge of a big signing in 1997 in the form of Emmanuel Petit, but Arsenal had other plans.
This was a very successful period for the Gunners: Dennis Bergkamp and David Platt were hired that summer and Arsene Wenger was named manager in 1996.
GETTY
When Wenger arrived in 1996, Arsenal didn’t seem capable of challenging the league, but that soon changed with the arrival of key players, including Emmanuel Petit.
So when French midfielder Petit was told: Do you want to fight for relegation or fight for the titles? It was a no-brainer.
Petit was in London, talking to Spurs president Alan Sugar about moving to the capital from Monaco. Arsenal found out about the meeting and told him not to sign anything until the midfielder had at least heard Wenger’s pitch about the new dawn at Highbury.
That seemed fair enough considering Wenger was the man who brought him to the French club, so Petit asked Sugar to give him time to think about the offer at his hotel.
The Spurs even paid for the taxi to get him there, but the player diverted the taxi to Wenger’s home, where he was joined by Vice President David Dein, who sealed the £ 3.5 million deal.
“It was the first time I met David Dein and Tottenham paid for the taxi to help me sign for Arsenal,” he said in 2018. “Now he is part of the legend.
“I knew the rivalry but not how big it was. David Dein still loves that story, and [more than] 20 years later, he’s still counting it! «
His transfer started the Wenger Revolution, with Gilles Grimandi and Nicolas Anelka also arriving at Highbury.
And Petit was a very busy man.
Petit was so good that he was even recruited to help the Sun Hill police on Bill’s Christmas special in 1998.
At the end of the pony-tailed first season, he was a Premier League and FA Cup winner, his association with Patrick Vieira in midfield was praised, he won the World Cup, and he even found time to help Sun’s best. Hill with an appearance on The Bill.
But those long blonde locks he became known for may have never been seen by British fans, as his teammates threatened to cut them because of his attitude.
“When the French guys came, the atmosphere was a little different,” recalled his teammate, Ray Parlor, on talkSPORT.
“We Brits have a little more fun.
Parlor, however, was forced to give her a quick lesson in British politeness when she arrived.
“Dennis Bergkamp was another, they were a bit more serious and we tried to have a little fun with them.
“They changed quickly and really enjoyed the jokes, but from time to time, for example, Manu Petit would sometimes walk right in front of you.
“You would say, ‘Good morning, Manu’, and he would walk right by you.
“He did it to all the players. He did it to Tony Adams, he did it to David Seaman and that’s not acceptable.
getty
Vieira and Petit formed a formidable partnership in the heart of Arsenal’s midfield, but it was cut short when Petit joined Barcelona in 2000.
“Regardless of the problems you have, say good morning to someone, right? It is very impolite if you pass someone. It’s just having that respect for other people.
“So one morning we pinned him to the wall and said, ‘Make sure you say good morning to everyone because if you don’t, we’ll cut your ponytail!’
“We even had scissors.
After that, he was as good as gold!
And Gooners around the world have Tottenham to thank.
–
