Eze’s dramatic change of heart, swapping N17 for N5, is not without precedent. Many will remember Sol Campbell’s sensational move as a free agent in 2001. But another Gunners legend, Emmanuel Petit, rejected Spurs for Arsenal in a manner more reminiscent of Eze’s transfer saga.
Spurs infamously paid the Frenchman’s taxi fare on his way to sign for Arsenal. Reflecting on his last-minute decision, Petit told the Mirror in 2018: “Tottenham put the contract on the table for me, I needed a couple of days to think about it but they didn’t expect what happened after that.”
The midfielder travelled to London in 1997 to discuss a potential transfer from Monaco with Spurs chairman Sir Alan Sugar. Arsenal caught wind of the meeting and reached out to the midfielder, urging him not to sign anything until he had listened to Arsene Wenger’s vision for the new project he was building.
Petit, who had previously played under Wenger at Monaco, requested more time from Sugar to consider the offer back at his hotel, with Spurs covering the taxi fare to take him there. However, the Frenchman redirected the cab to Wenger’s house, where he also met vice-chairman David Dein.
Hoping to challenge for trophies rather than battle against relegation, the future World Cup champion agreed terms and completed a £2.5m transfer to the Gunners. Petit later recalled on talkSPORT: “I had meetings on the same day with Tottenham and Arsenal and had a meeting with Tottenham in the morning, but when I came to England I didn’t know about the rivalry between the two clubs.
“When I left the Spurs stadium, they booked me a cab and the cab driver asked me for directions, so I gave him the Arsenal address and I didn’t realise that the cab was pre-paid by Spurs, so they knew where I was going!
“I’d told Spurs that I needed time to think about it but knew that I had to see Arsenal, as well as other clubs in Italy and Spain. I told everyone that I’d make my mind up and when I knew the answer I would give it, but after a couple of days I signed for Arsenal and it went into newspapers and all of a sudden the story came. I realised the pressure of the rivalry then.”
Petit added in 2018: “It’s part of the legend now. David Dein still loves that story – and [more than] 20 years later he’s still telling it!” He would not regret his choice, forming a strong midfield partnership with compatriot Patrick Vieira, which saw the ponytailed midfielder clinch a league and cup double in his debut campaign.
Following the success of the 1997/98 season, Petit spent two more seasons in north London before moving to Barcelona and then Chelsea. Eze will be hoping his bold decision will reap similar benefits as he looks to bring a creative spark to Arteta’s team, with the Gunners aiming to break their Premier League curse after ending three consecutive campaigns as runners-up.