Michael Carrick has revealed that he came desperately close to signing for Arsenal, but was prevented from doing so by the emergence of Cesc Fabregas.
Speaking to FourFourTwo, the ex-England international explained how he almost joined the Gunners from West Ham in 2004, and how the deal got derailed after the Spaniard impressed Arsene Wenger just days before it was due to go through.
He said: “I was really close to signing for Arsenal, and even had a meeting with Arsene Wenger at his house.
“I was pretty confident it was happening, and for a few days I thought it was a done deal and I was going to Arsenal.
OPINION
It’s amazing how fine margins can be in football. Who’s to say what might have happened had Cesc Fabregas not played in the 2004 Charity Shield for Arsenal, or if he had played poorly. The fact that Carrick, a player so fondly remembered by both Spurs and United fans, came so close joining a club that has traditionally been such a huge rival to both of those sides is crazy to think about. As it is, I don’t think Carrick, or Arsenal for that matter, would have changed things if they had a chance. Fabregas is still one of the standout players of the latter Wenger era, and Carrick won 12 medals as a Man United player, and now has a role in their coaching setup. It’s hard not to imagine what Carrick would have been like in a Wenger side, however. His range of passing and reading of a game were almost unparalleled for much of the 2010s, and those attributes surely would have made him a legend at the Emirates.