The defender who rejected Tottenham to sign for Arsenal in 2019 even though Daniel Levy was offering more money
Yesterday at 01:15 PM
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have often competed to bring the best European talents to their half of north London over the past few decades.
In fact, there are even a lot of players who have made the switch between Arsenal and Tottenham, with Sol Campbell being the first name to spring to mind.
Others include William Gallas and Emmanuel Adebayor, even if the latter made his switch via Manchester City.
It's a rare scenario, although it's much more common for a player to reject a move to either N5 or N17 in favour of the other, just like happened with William Saliba in 2019.
William Saliba kept Arsenal promise despite Tottenham’s better offer
Although Saliba had verbally agreed a five-year-deal to join Arsenal from St-Etienne, Spurs made a late bid of their own.
Told by Guardian Sport, Saliba's move to Arsenal was actually delayed because of Tottenham's late interest.
READ MORE: The statement Raheem Sterling made straight after he joined Arsenal which has not come true
On their part, Arsenal were always confident that Saliba would keep to his word and choose a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Although, Spurs did actually offer a marginally better deal for the 18-year-old at the time.
Both deals were for the same initial fee – €30m (£25m) – but Tottenham were willing to provide better add-ons.
Why did William Saliba reject Tottenham to join Arsenal?
Without specifically mentioning Spurs, Saliba revealed why he chose to join Arsenal in an in depth interview with the club in 2022.
Saliba explained that there was 'no decision' to make when he heard that Arsenal wanted him, explaining how much he idolised the club growing up.
He said: "When I was growing up I watched all the Champions League games. I couldn't watch the other games because we didn't have all the channels, but that was the first time I watched Arsenal, in the Champions League.
"Then I had an Arsenal shirt when I was about seven or eight years old. I loved watching Arsenal.
“I had Henry on the back – he was the one I looked up to the most. I loved watching him.
"Arsene Wenger was the manager, so there were a lot of French connections with Arsenal.
"I remember watching the big Champions League games, against Barcelona I remember, but the other games too."
"This is a special club. You know that when Arsenal is interested in you, you are going to be very happy.
"There was no decision to make – you don't need to make a reflection – it was an easy choice. As soon as I knew Arsenal wanted me, I wanted to come here."
