How’s your luck? Tottenham thought they could sign midfielder Emmanuel Petit in 1997, but Arsenal had other plans.
This was a time of great success for the Gunners – Dennis Bergkamp and David Platt were added to the squad in the summer of that year, while manager Arsene Wenger was appointed manager in 1996.
3
So when French international Petit was asked whether he wanted to fight against relegation or for the Premier League title, his answer was a no-brainer.
Petit was in London, speaking to Tottenham chairman Alan Sugar about a move from Monaco to the capital. Arsenal learned of the meeting and told him not to sign anything until the midfielder had at least heard Wenger’s arguments about this new era that was about to begin at Highbury.
That seemed fair enough considering Wenger was the man who had brought him through at the French club, so Petit Sugar asked for time to think about the offer at his hotel.
Spurs even paid for the taxi ride there, but the player was instead diverted to Wenger’s house, where he met with vice-president David Dein and a £3.5 million deal was sealed.
Speaking to Andy Goldstein on The Pitch Prospect Drive, Petit said: “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 didn’t know anything about the rivalry between the two clubs.
“When I left Spurs stadium they called me a taxi and the taxi driver asked me for directions so I gave him the address of Arsenal. What I didn’t realise was that the taxi had been prepaid by Spurs so they knew where I was going!
“I told Spurs I needed time to think about it, but I knew I had to look at Arsenal and also other clubs in Italy and Spain.
“I told everyone that I would make up my mind and give the answer when I knew it. But a few days later I signed for Arsenal, the news hit the newspapers and suddenly the story came out.
“That’s when I became aware of the pressure of rivalry.”
Speaking about it in 2018, Petit added: “It’s part of the legend now. David Dein still loves that story – and [more than] 20 years later he’s still telling it!”
With his transfer, Wenger’s revolution began, and Gilles Grimandi and Nicolas Anelka also came to Highbury.
And Petit was a very busy man.
By the end of his first season, the ponytailed player had already won the Premier League and FA Cup, his midfield partnership with Patrick Vieira had been praised, he had won the World Cup and even found time to help Sun Hill’s finest with an appearance on former ITV series The Bill.
Looking ahead to the World Cup, he thanks Zinedine Zidane for inspiring the nation to victory against Brazil in the 1998 final.
But British fans may never have seen the long blonde locks he became known for, as his teammates threatened to cut them off for an apparent act of rudeness.
“When the French guys came over, the atmosphere was a little different,” Ray Parlour recalled to The Pitch Prospect.
3
“We Brits had a bit more fun.
“Dennis Bergkamp was different, they were a bit more serious and we tried to get a bit of fun out of them.
“They changed quickly and enjoyed the jokes, but every now and then, for example, Manu Petit would simply walk past one of them.
“You said ‘Morning, Manu’ and he walked right past you.
“He did it to all the players. He did it to Tony Adams, he did it to David Seaman and that is not acceptable.”
“No matter what problems you have, you say good morning to someone, right? It’s very rude if you just walk past someone. It’s just about showing respect to other people.
3
“So one morning we nailed him to the wall and told him, ‘Say good morning to everyone or we’ll cut off your ponytail!’
“We even had scissors.
“After that, he was as good as gold!”
Petit would have been more concerned, however, when Martin Keown told him to behave. He linked up with other former Arsenal teammates Luis Boa-Morte and Nicolas Anelka and said the The Pitch Prospect presenter was the player he would want next to him in a fight, or midfield partner Vieira. He even joked that football had saved Keown from a prison sentence. “Martin is such a nice guy but suddenly, in a second, he can change.”
Petit was also part of the The Pitch Prospect network and was in Germany as part of the Euro 2024 team. He sharply criticised Kylian Mbappe for wearing a mask after the French star broke his nose and urged his compatriot to be tougher, also saying he was bored watching England play.
His contract was not the first to be hijacked – Spurs snapped up Paul Gascoigne from Manchester United – and it will not be the last, as Chelsea beat Spurs to Willian in 2012.
Stay up to date with the latest transfer news with the The Pitch Prospect Transfer Blog