Arsenal legend Tony Adams has revealed he was ready to leave the club for Manchester United before Arsene Wenger’s arrival transformed his plans.
Adams spent his entire professional career with Arsenal, but the former captain has now detailed how close that association came to ending in 1996.
The Gunners were going through an uncertain period following George Graham’s departure in 1995, while Bruce Rioch was dismissed shortly before the beginning of the 1996/97 campaign.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson spotted an opportunity and contacted Adams about moving to Old Trafford, with his side having just won the Premier League and FA Cup Double.
Speaking to FourFourTwo, Adams revealed that Ferguson pointed towards Arsenal’s managerial uncertainty while attempting to convince him to leave north London.
“Fergie had been on the phone saying: ‘Come up here, you haven’t got a manager, you’re all over the place’,” Adams recalled.
The defender subsequently met Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood and directly questioned the club’s ambitions.
Adams said Hill-Wood assured him that Arsenal had “a good man on the way”, but the captain initially remained unconvinced.
“I said: ‘Look, Peter… I’m gone’,” he added.
Arsenal ultimately managed to convince Adams to stay, with his wages trebled before Wenger arrived to succeed Rioch.
Wenger officially became Arsenal manager on October 1, 1996, before taking charge of his first match in a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers later that month.
The decision proved pivotal for both Adams and Arsenal as the defender became one of the defining players of Wenger’s early years in England.
Adams captained the Gunners to the Premier League and FA Cup Double in 1997/98 before repeating the achievement four years later.
He eventually retired in 2002 having spent 19 years with his only senior club.
Adams made 669 appearances for Arsenal, placing him second behind David O’Leary on the club’s all-time appearance list, while he captained the side to 10 major trophies.
The former England international now looks back on his decision to reject a move elsewhere with considerable satisfaction.
“I’m so grateful that it happened that way and I didn’t go to pastures new,” Adams said. “I was able to lift more trophies for the Arsenal, do a couple more Doubles and retire as a one-club player. I’m very proud of that.”
Had Ferguson succeeded, one of Arsenal’s greatest captains could instead have joined the club that would soon become Wenger’s fiercest Premier League rival.