Arsenal legendonce had convinced he was going to sign for them – before he got into a taxi they paid for and went on his way to join their bitter rivals instead.

Petit's former team host Spurs in their second North London Derby clash of the season tonight (January 15). ’s Arsenal go into the fixture in a rut of form, having suffered back-to-back defeats and at home, while a third defeat would have disastrous consequences for their .

But the fixture has traditionally been as unpredictable as it has been feisty, with form largely going out the window thanks to the intense animosity between the two sides. A lot of that stems from the manner in which moved from south east London and into Tottenham territory over a century ago, while some of it can be put down to the actions of past players.

Sol Campbell’s from White Hart Lane to Highbury as a free agent is one such example – but Petit’s snubbing of the Lilywhites on the same day he decided to meet with their rivals is also staggering. “Tottenham put the contract on the table for me, I needed a couple of days to think about it but they didn’t expect what happened after that,” Petit .

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The Frenchman had travelled to London in 1997 to talk to Spurs chairman Sir about a move from Monaco. Arsenal caught wind of the meeting and immediately sent word to the midfielder to not sign anything until he had heard ’s pitch about the new era he was building in N5.

Petit, who played under Wenger at Monaco, asked Sugar for time to mull things over back at his own hotel, with Spurs paying the taxi to drive him there. But the Frenchman diverted the cab to Wenger’s house, where he also met vice-chairman David Dein.

Eager to challenge for titles rather than fighting relegation battles, the future World Cup winner signed a £3.5million deal with the Gunners. Speaking on , Petit explained: “I had meetings on the same day with Tottenham and Arsenal and had a meeting with Tottenham in the morning, but when I came to England I didn’t know about the rivalry between the two clubs.

"When I left the Spurs stadium, they booked me a cab and the cab driver asked me for directions, so I gave him the Arsenal address and I didn’t realise that the cab was pre-paid by Spurs, so they knew where I was going!

"I’d told Spurs that I needed time to think about it but knew that I had to see Arsenal, as well as other clubs in Italy and Spain. I told everyone that I’d make my mind up and when I knew the answer I would give it, but after a couple of days I signed for Arsenal and it went into newspapers and all of a sudden the story came. I realised the pressure of the rivalry then.”

Speaking about it again in 2018, Petit added: "It’s part of the legend now. David Dein still loves that story – and [more than] 20 years later he’s still telling it!”

Petit’s transfer followed the arrival of compatriot Patrick Vieira the season before, with the two forming a central midfield base which led Arsenal to a league and cup double. That launched Wenger’s revolution, while adding salt into the wounds of the aggrieved Spurs faithful.

The pony-tailed midfielder would remain in north London for three seasons before seeking a move to and later returning to play for another London rival – .

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