Arsenal icon admits he almost signed for Man United under Sir Alex Ferguson

Manchester United and Arsenal certainly have a heavy transfer history between the pair, with no love lost between the Premier League rivals.

When Premier League fans mention Arsenal, Manchester United, and transfers in the same sentence, almost everyone will immediately think of Robin van Persie, who moved from London to Manchester to win his first Premier League title.

However, there have also been other rather interesting moves, like Danny Welbeck‘s travel down south or the Alexis Sanchez–Henrikh Mkhitaryan swap deal that both clubs seemed to lose.

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During the early 2000s, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger had similar ideologies at their respective clubs, looking to either raise or buy talented players and help maximise their potential – it was a strategy that worked well for both clubs.

Arsenal went unbeaten for a whole league-winning season, and Sir Alex’s trophy haul at United is famous globally.

Cesc Fabregas: I talked to United

When Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas signed for Arsenal in September 2003, he became the youngest player to ever play for the club at 16 years and 177 days. Later that year, he also became the club’s youngest goalscorer.

However, he has now revealed that he also spoke to United about joining Old Trafford instead.

“I think there were some conversations with my parents, but Arsenal were the ones who went full-on,” Fabregas told the Planet Premier League Podcast.

“I think (Gerard) Pique after went to United, but they were more interested in him than me. At this stage, I think they were talking to three or four players at the academy at Barcelona, but it was always Arsenal for me.”

The right move

All in all, Arsenal was probably the correct move for Fabregas. United had an incredibly stacked midfield in the early 2000s, with players such as Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, and Nicky Butt playing pivotal parts in Sir Alex’s success.

That being said, Fabregas might have a much more impressive trophy cabinet had he made a different decision…