'I was meant to join Arsenal before their sudden U-turn – I ended up at Spurs instead'

As Arsenal announced Eberechi Eze's homecoming to 60,000 delighted supporters on Saturday, many might have wondered what might have happened had he penned a deal with their north London neighbours instead.

Some will recall that this scenario has previously unfolded, when a young Michael Carrick was poised to move to the Gunners from West Ham United – only to end up at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham Hotspur had been prepared to secure Eze's signature after reaching terms with Crystal Palace. However, Mikel Arteta intervened and hijacked the former Arsenal academy graduate's transfer to Spurs.

The England international signed a four-year contract valued at up to £67.5million and will wear the number 10 shirt for the club.

Yet over two decades ago, Arsenal could have acquired a Premier League legend in Carrick – but they let the midfielder to join their rivals instead, instead choosing to prioritise ensuring a young Cesc Fabregas had a route to the first team.

In his autobiography, Michael Carrick: Between the Lines, the former Champions League winner recalled how the teenage Fabregas ultimately scuppered his switch to the north London side, as Arsène Wenger reversed his decision on the deal.

Carrick said: "I saw that a kid, Cesc Fabregas, only 17, started in (Patrick) Vieira's place. Fabregas played a blinder, but I didn't think too much about the significance.

"I sat at home on Sunday night waiting for the call to arrange details of the next day. Arsenal! I couldn't wait. But I waited, and waited, and that call never came.

"The next day, I had to go into training at West Ham instead and, on the way, David (Carrick's agent) phoned to say he'd had a call from Dein."

Carrick went on to reveal that the then-17-year-old had pipped him to a spot in the squad, as he said: "David relayed the gist of his message, like, 'I'm sorry, the manager says we don't need Michael. Fabregas is coming through like he is. Sorry, the deal's off.'

"Fabregas' performance changed Wenger's mind about needing me."

Fabregas subsequently went on to rack up 300 appearances for the Gunners after pushing Carrick out of Arsene Wenger's thinking – but the midfielder did secure a transfer shortly afterwards.

Spurs' sporting director at the time, Frank Arnesen, rang Carrick's representative to persuade him to join the other north London outfit instead, which didn't go down too well with West Ham supporters, who'd already lost Jermain Defoe and Freddie Kanoute to their rivals since suffering relegation in 2003.

During an interview with FourFourTwo, the former Premier League midfielder described a chaotic spell in his career when signing for Spurs. He revealed that the club's manager at the time, Jacques Santini, appeared unaware of his identity.

Carrick said: "He (Santini) didn't seem to know who I was – it was a very strange moment. I arrived at Spurs' training ground and said to my adviser Dave, 'I'm not too sure he knows who I am'. He said, 'I think you're right.'

"I'd signed that morning, so it was all agreed with the club and I went to his office to meet him. It was weird. I ended up with the reserve team on my first day of training, and later found out that I'd been signed more by Frank Arnesen, who was Spurs' sporting director."

But it wasn't at White Hart Lane where Carrick carved out his Premier League legacy; Old Trafford became the midfielder's stomping ground under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.

The midfielder moved to Manchester United in 2006 and the rest became history; clocking up 464 appearances in red before retiring at the club in 2018. Carrick secured an incredible five Premier League crowns with United, alongside an FA Cup, three EFL Cups, the Champions League, Europa League and the Club World Cup.

Yet, his career trajectory could have been completely different had Fabregas not blocked his switch to Arsenal in the mid-2000s – similar to how Eze's potential journey at Spurs might have unfolded if Arteta hadn't swooped in at the eleventh hour.

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