Michael Carrick has revealed how close he came to joining Arsenal – until Arsene Wenger changed his mind after Cesc Fabregas had a blinder in the Community Shield.
The Manchester United assistant coach has given some insight into a key point in his playing career in 2004 after spending a year in the English second tier with West Ham.
In his new book Between the Lines, serialised in the Times, Carrick explained how an hour-long meeting with Wenger at his north London home had convinced him to make the move across the capital before a late spanner in the works forced a U-turn.
“On the Sunday, I settled down at home in Theydon Bois, Epping, to watch Arsenal, my team to be, in the Community Shield against Manchester United,” Carrick recalled. “I saw that a kid, Cesc Fàbregas, only 17, started in [Patrick] Vieira’s place. Fàbregas 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, [my agent] David phoned to say he’d had a call from [David] Dein.
“David relayed the gist of his message, like, ‘I’m sorry, the manager says we don’t need Michael. Fàbregas is coming through like he is. Sorry, the deal’s off.’ Fàbregas’s performance changed Wenger’s mind about needing me.
“I was totally devastated as I had my heart set on Arsenal and playing with all that talent. My head was gone. Arsenal had swayed me and I didn’t have a clue what I’d do now.”
OPINION
This is a great tale from Carrick, a bona fide Premier League legend. Tottenham were to prove to be the beneficiaries of Wenger’s faith in Fabregas, as the former central midfielder did end up being successful in swapping east for north London eventually that summer. Carrick had two highly impressive seasons at Spurs before taking a bigger step by moving to United, where he spent the rest of a glittering playing career that secured a Champions League, six Premier League titles, three League Cups and an FA Cup. Certainly, United and Tottenham, initially, benefitted from Wenger’s reluctance to do a deal. Arsenal supporters would have loved to have seen an alliance of Carrick, a superb midfield anchorman, and Fabregas, the playmaker with the passing range and vision to die for. It was not to be, as, with money tight at the Emirates, a series of fairly mediocre midfielders partnered Fabregas such as Manuel Flamini, Denilson and Lassana Diarra.