History shows Michael Carrick spent time, albeit briefly, on one side of the north London divide.
But had a future World Cup winner not played a ‘blinder’, Carrick’s career could have taken a major detour nearby.
Carrick made a name for himself as one of England’s brightest prospects thanks to four impressive seasons at West Ham United.
A midfielder blessed with metronomic passing ability, Carrick quickly gained plenty of admirers.
His eye-catching displays at Upton Park also earned him an England call-up as he made his senior international debut in May 2001 against Mexico.
Ahead of the 2004/05 season, Carrick was a wanted man by many.
Harry Redknapp, who handed Carrick his big break at the Hammers, wanted to bring the midfielder to Portsmouth.
Carrick even underwent a medical at Fratton Park, but a bigger fish soon came calling.
The midfielder’s agent got a call from David Dein, who was the vice-chairman of Arsenal at the time.
It wasn’t long before Carrick was sat in former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger‘s house, as the Frenchman pitched his vision for the talented Hammer.
Wenger even told Carrick he would see him on the Monday after Arsenal played Manchester United in the Community Shield.
But a second meeting never occurred.
The midfielder’s eye-catching displays piqued Arsenal’s interestAFPIn his autobiography, Michael Carrick: Between the Lines, Carrick revealed how a certain teenager derailed his Arsenal transfer.
“I saw that a kid, Cesc Fabregas, only 17, started in (Patrick) Vieira’s place,” Carrick said.
“Fabregas played a blinder, but I didn’t think too much about the significance.
“I sat at home on Sunday night waiting for the call to arrange details of the next day. Arsenal! I couldn’t wait.
“But I waited, and waited, and that call never came.
“The next day, I had to go into training at West Ham instead and, on the way, David (Carrick’s agent) phoned to say he’d had a call from Dein.
“David relayed the gist of his message, like, ‘I’m sorry, the manager says we don’t need Michael. Fabregas is coming through like he is. Sorry, the deal’s off.’
“Fabregas’ performance changed Wenger’s mind about needing me.”
Fabregas, who joined Arsenal’s academy from Barcelona, went on to make over 300 appearances for the Gunners and won the FA Cup in 2005.
As for Carrick, he would soon get his move away.
And it wasn’t terribly far from where he thought he was supposed to go.
Days after the Arsenal snub, Carrick’s agent received a call from then-Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Frank Arnesen.
Carrick’s time in north London did not last overly longGettyThe deal was completed within days, but perhaps a little too quick for former Spurs manager Jacques Santini as Carrick lifted the lid on a chaotic opening day at the club in an interview with FourFourTwo.
“He (Santini) didn’t seem to know who I was – it was a very strange moment,” Carrick said.
“I arrived at Spurs’ training ground and said to my adviser Dave, ‘I’m not too sure he knows who I am’. He said, ‘I think you’re right.’
“I’d signed that morning, so it was all agreed with the club and I went to his office to meet him. It was weird.
“I ended up with the reserve team on my first day of training, and later found out that I’d been signed more by Frank Arnesen, who was Spurs’ sporting director.”
Carrick spent just two seasons at White Hart Lane and made 75 appearances before he joined English powerhouse Manchester United in 2006.
His switch to Old Trafford proved to be a major successIt was the final move of Carrick’s playing career as he went on to play 464 times for the Red Devils until his retirement in May 2018.
At Old Trafford, Carrick won a whopping five Premier League titles, an FA Cup, three EFL Cups, the Champions League, the Europa League and the Club World Cup.
Who knows if he’d have enjoyed a similar trophy haul had Fabregas not played a blinder against United all those years ago.
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