Lille bosses were furious with Arsenal when Park Chu Young turned up in London.
The South Korean international, an idol in his home country, played for the Monaco team that was relegated from Ligue 1 in 2011.
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After three years at the Louis II Stadium, it was time to say goodbye and a transfer from Park to Lille was on the cards.
The striker had agreed to a contract worth around £40,000 a week after a transfer fee of €2.7 million was agreed with Monaco.
He had even already completed the first part of his medical examination, but when the club expected him for the second part, he was nowhere to be found.
When they entered his hotel room, it was empty. There was no call, no message, nothing. The Lille bosses were astonished.
Little did they know that Park had instead disappeared across the English Channel to London in August 2011 to sign for Arsenal.
“We haven’t received a phone call, nothing,” said Michel Seydoux, chairman of Lille.
“For all we know, he could be at Arsenal.”
This was quite a blow for Lille, as they thought they had snapped up a real talent at a bargain price.
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Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was understandably pleased. “He will add real quality to our attacking forces and will be a valuable addition to the squad,” he said.
In 2011, Park was already captain of the South Korean national team. Years earlier, he had led the South Korean U20 national team to victory at the 2004 AFC Youth Championship, scoring six goals – including two in the final.
He won the Most Valuable Player award and the Golden Ball, but that wasn’t all: he was named Asia’s Youngest Player of the Year.
When Lille saw him slip through their fingers, the anger within the club was understandably great.
However, Park’s decision to leave the Ligue 1 team proved to be of little benefit to him, as he only played in four games in three years at Arsenal.
He made his Premier League debut in January 2012 against Manchester United, but his move into the first team was only possible thanks to the form of Robin van Persie, who finished the season with 30 league goals.
This was followed by two unsuccessful loan spells to Celta Vigo and Watford before he was released by the Gunners in 2014.
Before Cristiano Ronaldo made his name, Park moved to the Saudi Pro League, where he signed with Al Shabab for a year before returning to his naive South Korea to join FC Seoul.
The 39-year-old, now at Ulsan Hyundai, may regret his move to Arsenal, where he remains one of the most bizarre signings.
He will not complain, however, as he was league champion in 2022 and 2023 and is fighting for another title. His former club Seoul has now signed former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard.
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