Attacker says Pep Guardiola used to call him ‘every single morning’ to get him to leave Arsenal

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Pep Guardiola wasn’t afraid to express his desire to take one player from Arsenal during Arsene Wenger’s reign.

Guardiola and Arsenal are mutually bound to some degree, with the Manchester City boss being Mikel Arteta’s teacher at the Etihad. 

The Arsenal manager spent three and a half years as Guardiola’s assistant at City before taking on his own project at the Emirates. 

Being almost ten years Arteta’s senior, Guardiola has managerial experience at the highest level that the Gunners’ boss could only dream of, with the Spaniard crossing paths with Arsenal way before his countryman took on the job in 2019.

• READ MORE: Why Mikel Arteta called Pep Guardiola right before Arsenal’s triumph over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu

Pep Guardiola desperately wanted to sign Emmanuel Adebayor

Whether it’s Man City, Bayern Munich or Barcelona, Guardiola has won major silverware everywhere he’s been.

The coach’s work in Catalonia will survive the test of time, overseeing Lionel Messi’s rise and winning two Champions Leagues.

Guardiola worked with some of the best of the best at Barcelona, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to add one Arsenal player to his collection of stars at the Camp Nou.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Emmanuel Adebayor revealed that 17 years ago, he’d be woken up every morning by Guardiola. 

“In 2008, I had Pep Guardiola as my wake-up call; he was the one waking me up in the morning, about ‘please come to Barcelona’,” Adebayor revealed.

“I said ‘I’m not coming’, even though with all the respect I have for Guardiola, what he has achieved, what he has done, he’s one of the greatest managers that ever coached in football.

“But he was calling me every single morning, but I made it clear to him that I was fine at Arsenal.”

It’s unsurprising that Guardiola was tirelessly calling the striker, as Adebayor had scored 30 goals for Arsenal over the 2007/08 season, netting 24 in the Premier League.

What is ironic is the respect the Togo international showed the Gunners when Guardiola called, given what he went on to do.

From Adebayor’s infamous celebration at the Etihad, to becoming a player who represented both Arsenal and Tottenham, it’s difficult to think of a time when the forward was on good terms with those in N5. 

Adebayor’s record at Arsenal 

There’s no doubt that Adebayor was one of Arsenal’s best-ever January signings, but not one fan can look back on the striker’s time in North London fondly.

The disrespect that followed his exit from the club is impossible to overlook, which is a shame considering what he did for the Gunners.

In 142 appearances for Arsenal, Adebayor contributed to 80 goals, with his best-performing campaign being 2007/08 by some distance.

Just one year after turning down Guardiola’s approaches due to being happy at Arsenal, Adebayor left the club for Manchester City.