Arsenal came surprisingly close to signing one of Chelsea’s greatest-ever players.
Over the years, there have been plenty of transfer stories involving the two London rivals, but very few have involved a club legend potentially crossing the divide at the height of his career – apart from Ashley Cole, of course.
That is exactly what almost happened with John Terry.
The former Chelsea captain has now revealed a remarkable story that he says he has never spoken about publicly before, involving Arsene Wenger and Arsenal legend Tony Adams.
Where does Arsene Wenger rank among the Premier League’s greatest managers?
John Terry reveals Arsenal tried to sign him from Chelsea
Terry spent virtually his entire career at Chelsea and became one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history.
That makes it difficult to imagine him ever wearing another English club’s shirt, let alone Arsenal’s.
However, according to the former defender, there was a period early in his career when the Gunners made a serious attempt to lure him away from Stamford Bridge.
Speaking about the episode on Sports Uncensored, Terry revealed that Wenger and Adams personally tried to convince him to make the move across London.
It happened at a time when he was struggling to establish himself in Chelsea’s first team and was regularly missing out on matchday squads.
Terry said: “Tony Adams and him (Wenger) pulled me into his office many, many years ago. I’ve actually never spoken about this.
“They tried to sign me, convince me to leave Chelsea and go to Arsenal.
“I was in the squad, I didn’t make the bench. It was around that time when they pulled me into Wenger’s office.”
It is a fascinating revelation because it shows just how highly Arsenal rated Terry before he became a household name.
Wenger rarely pursued players without believing they could become top-class performers, and Adams was arguably the best judge of defensive talent Arsenal could have had at the time.
What’s your message to John Terry after he said William Saliba is not world-class?
Missing out on John Terry may have been one of Arsenal’s biggest transfer near-misses
Football history could have looked very different had Terry accepted Arsenal’s offer.
Instead, he stayed at Chelsea, broke into the first team and went on to become arguably the greatest captain in the club’s history.
He won five Premier League titles, the Champions League, five FA Cups and established himself as one of the finest centre-backs of his generation.
For Arsenal, it represents one of those fascinating “what if” stories.
The Gunners already possessed a strong defence during that era, but adding a young Terry to Wenger’s project could have given them another elite leader for more than a decade.
Of course, Arsenal supporters will not lose too much sleep over it given the success the club enjoyed during the early Wenger years.
Still, hearing Terry reveal that Wenger and Adams personally attempted to bring him to Highbury is a reminder of just how close some of football’s biggest transfer stories come to becoming reality.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
