The summer signing was on the verge of joining Lille before a dramatic last-minute about-turn saw him head to London
Gervinho and Park Chu-young at Arsenal training
The forward made his decision at the last possible moment(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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There are plenty of footballers who have played for Champions League opponents Arsenal and Lille - current Gunners centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes and former record signing Nicolas Pepe to name but two - but one man had the difficult situation of choosing between the two. Park Chu-young was coming off a hot season at Monaco when the choice presented itself, and it clearly wasn't an easy one for him to make.
The South Korea international had scored 12 times in 33 Ligue 1 appearances in the 2010/11 season, but that wasn't enough to keep Monaco in Ligue 1. Reigning champions Lille were ready to pounce for a player with proven experience in France, having lost Gervinho to Arsenal earlier in the window.
Unfortunately for Les Dogues, they weren't the only ones in the mix. They only learned this when - while waiting for the forward to undergo the second part of a medical - they found his hotel room empty.
"We haven’t had a telephone call, nothing,” Lille chairman Michel Seydoux said at the time. "From what we understand he could be at Arsenal."
Seydoux's fears proved correct. Park moved to Arsenal for a fee reported at the time to be between £3-5million - more than the sum Lille had agreed with Monaco - and the player himself confirmed it was an either/or decision.
“I had to choose between Lille and Arsenal,” he told club media. “I wanted to choose without regret.
"It is a dream to be here and I am really proud to be an Arsenal player. Now I just want to show how good I am and prove myself. I will do my best, I will never give up, I will show heart, I will give everything and I hope [the fans] will support me.”
On the pitch, though, things didn't quite go as hoped. Park played just one game in the league and six in all competitions in his first season at Arsenal, with his only goal coming against Bolton in the League Cup.
He lost his No. 9 shirt the following summer when Lukas Podolski moved to north London and subsequently spent time on loan at Celta Vigo and Watford, playing just one more time under legendary Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.
Park Chu-young celebrates scoring for Arsenal against Bolton
Park scored just one competitive goal for Arsenal(Image: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
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South Korea still called him up for the 2014 World Cup but his time in European club football would end that summer. He played out the remaining 10 years of his career in Asia, with a year in Saudi Arabia before a return to his homeland with FC Seoul and later Ulsan HD.
Lille were forced to scramble for attacking options after missing out on Park, with Polish international Ireneusz Jelen arriving late in the window and failing to make his mark. However, they were more successful the following summer, with Salomon Kalou joining from Chelsea and finishing as top scorer in both of his seasons in the north of France.
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